Husband pledges to stand by his wife, after she is jailed for trying to hire a hitman to kill him

But as Zoe Kenealy was led from the dock her husband Timothy maintained he would stand by her.

He had begged the judge to show her leniency and had even taken Kenealy back into their home after she was bailed before the trial.

Jailed: Zoe Kenealy (left) hired a hitman to kill her husband Timothy. He says he has forgiven her

Kenealy, 44, wanted to get rid of her second husband, with whom she has two children, because she felt ' smothered' by him.

She also had debts of £15,000 and wanted to cash in the 51-year-old's £33,800 life insurance policy.

She managed to take out a loan for £4,500 after telling Wellcome Financial Services she wanted a new bathroom.

In reality, the Old Bailey heard, she wanted the cash to hire a hitman.

In August 2006, Kenealy, from Croydon, South London, had started a relationship with Lee Waite, 31, who lived next door with his pregnant wife Marie.

Affair: Lee Waite was paid £3,000

Weeks later, Kenealy asked Waite if he could have her husband killed as he had claimed to know gangsters.

In truth, he was an unemployed fantasist who simply pocketed £3,000 and later told police he never had any intention of carrying out the plan.

Waite gave evidence against Kenealy and told the jury: 'She asked if I knew anybody who could get rid of somebody.

'I told her I could try and sort it out. She asked me how much it would cost and I just bounced a figure off the top of my head and said £10,000.

'Zoe said she hadn't got that sort of money but she said she could get about three or four thousand.'

Kenealy was arrested in January 2007 when her mother called police after she tried to borrow more money from family members to fund the hit.

She was convicted of soliciting to murder after a two-week trial in April.

Sentencing her yesterday, Judge Gregory Stone said: 'This was a cynical and cruel attempt to have your husband killed.

'You did it partially for insurance money but more because you could no longer bear to live with him.'

Kenealy left her first husband after he was jailed for abuse. She had been married to Mr Kenealy for 11 years before deciding to have him murdered.

Despite her actions her husband, who works for a catering firm at Gatwick airport, wrote to the judge, asking him to give her a light sentence.

'When I exchanged wedding vows I meant every word  -  for richer for poorer, till death do us part,' he said.

Mr Kenealy allowed his wife to move back into the marital home with their two sons George, six, and 13-year-old Sean after she was released on bail.

'Ironically, it was like we were back to normal  -  we were soulmates again,' he said. 'Even our sex life was back on track.'

He added yesterday: 'I still love her desperately and will be waiting.'