GUILTY UK - Louise Smith, 16, Havant, Hampshire, 8 May 2020 *Arrest*

[Harchmare]

2 minutes ago
Mays taken drugs ‘twice’ during marriage
Mays has been married to Chazlynn, Louise’s aunt, for five years, he told the court.

When they married he took her surname, because she ‘didn’t like’ his.

It was her who got him off drugs, he added.

Giving evidence, he said: ‘I’ve taken ecstasy, cocaine, cannabis and other legal highs between the age of 18 and upwards. She didn’t agree with me doing it so I stopped.'

Louise Smith murder trial: Live updates as Shane Mays set to give evidence

 

[Harchmare]

1 minute ago
Defendant lived off £50 per fortnight
Giving evidence in court, Mays said he was given £50 every two weeks by his wife.

He hasn’t worked since he was 24, so was given the allowance by CJ, who was on employment and support allowance (ESA).

The couple lived at Ringwood House for two years, but previously lived in Montague Road, North End.

Louise Smith murder trial: Live updates as Shane Mays set to give evidence

 

[Harchmare]

10:31JAMIE PHILLIPS
What happened yesterday?
On Tuesday (December 1), the prosecution began concluding its case against Shane Mays, who is charged with the murder of Louise Smith.

The court heard the results of a clinical review of Mays, which found he has found that he had an IQ in the “extremely low range” of 63 – meaning 99 per cent of people at his age range after functioning at a level above him.

It also found he was in the bottom 0.1 percentile for memory range - a test that examines a person's ability to hold onto information over a short period of time. The result means he 99.9 per cent of people at his age have a stronger working memory than him.

Our live blog of yesterday's proceedings can be found here.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as defence expected to begin

 

[Harchmare]

10:27JAMIE PHILLIPS
Good morning
The murder trial of Louise Smith is in its third week at Winchester Crown Court.

The defence case for Shane Mays is expected to begin today.

We will be providing live updates of proceedings in this live blog.

11:01JAMIE PHILLIPS
What has happened in week three of trial?
- On Monday (November 30), the jury made a site visit to the Leigh Park and Havant areas. They retraced different routes and areas discussed throughout the trial.

- The prosecution then began concluding its case on Tuesday (December 1) by running the jury through the agreed facts in the case. These are matters which are not disputed between the prosecution and the defence. It included the aforementioned details of a clinical review of Shane Mays.

- Today we expect the prosecution to conclude its case and the defence case for Shane Mays to begin.

11:02JAMIE PHILLIPS
Proceedings underway
The jury have taken their seats, socially distanced, within court.

Prosecutor James Newton-Price CQ is now concluding his case against Shane Mays to the court.


Louise Smith murder trial updates as defence expected to begin

 

[Harchmare]

11:04JAMIE PHILLIPS
Finger print found on Louise's phone matched defendant
Louise's phone case was found around 140 metres from her body in Havant Thicket.

A fingerprint on the phone case matched that of defendant Shane Mays, the jury is told.

The phone case is then displayed to the court.

11:06JAMIE PHILLIPS
Prosecution case concludes
James Newton-Price QC tells the court the case for the prosecution has now concluded.

The defence case for Shane Mays will now begin. His barrister is Andrew Langdon QC.

11:06KEY EVENT
Shane Mays called to the witness box
Defendant Shane Mays, accused of murdering Louise Smith, has been called as the first defence witness.

He will now give evidence in his own trial from the witness box.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as defence expected to begin

 

[Harchmare]

11:23JAMIE PHILLIPS
Court hears about Shane Mays' employment history
Andrew Langdon QC is asking Mays about his employment history.

Shane Mays tells the court he worked as a mechanic for "a couple of months" after leaving school. He also worked in factories and did some tarmacking, but the 30-year-old says he had not had a job since he was 24.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as defence expected to begin

 

[Legally Bland]

Thanks for doing the updates @Harchmare!

 

[Harchmare]

3 minutes ago
Car ‘pulled up’ outside Ringwood House on May 8
Defending Mays, Andrew Langdon QC said a car pulled up outside Ringwood House on the afternoon of May 8 - the day Louise Smith went missing.

The car, belonging to a relative, had a roofbox. Mays went to the car and got bingo tickets for his wife.

2 minutes ago
Mays played video games ‘every day’
With no job and no mobile phone, Mays spent his time playing on his Xbox, something he did every day.

He said: 'I played Call of Duty, Need for Speed and Fortnite, usually for nine hours a day.

‘I can’t get on with phones.'

Mays used his wife’s phone to listen to music, and she kept track of his social media through it too.

Louise Smith murder trial: Live updates as Shane Mays set to give evidence

 

[Harchmare]

11:32JAMIE PHILLIPS
Defendant had history of drug use
Mr Langdon QC moves on to asking Mays about his history of drug use.

He admits to have taken drugs in the past, including "ecstasy, cocaine, cannabis and other legal highs" from the age of 18 onward.

He adds that he last took drugs when he was 29, around a year ago, and had taken drugs twice during his five-year marriage with Louise's aunt CJ. He took cocaine on both occasions.

CJ "knew about it and she did not agree with me doing it". Mays says he stopped soon after.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as defence expected to begin

(sorry if this is confusing. Hants Live are a bit behind. I'll let them catch up before I continue with PN)

 

[Bogyo13]

Sounds like a parent - child relationship, very controlled IMO
So if he was not working in last 6 years what was the reason they told Hmrc and the council? Certain benefits are only paid if you work 16hrs and with council benefits I believe you need to prove you are actively searching for jobs? She got so much benefit altogether that was enough for both of them? MOO

 

[Harchmare]

11:51JAMIE PHILLIPS
Defendant had two previous dealings with police
Shane Mays was reprimanded by police as a 14-year-old for the assault of another boy.

He says the boy had been picking on a disabled child. Mays took exception as he has a disabled family member.

Mays also received a caution from police for theft when he was 18 after be bought a push bike online that had been stolen.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as defence expected to begin

 

[Harchmare]

27 minutes ago
Mays explains fingerprints on Louise’s phone

Quoted tweet:
David George
@DaveGeorgeUK
·
28m

Mays' fingerprints were found on Louise's phone, around 210m from her body. Speaking in court, he said the phone previously belonged to his wife CJ. He said: 'Sometimes I would use the phone before Louise had it. A couple of times we took the phone away from Louise.'

Louise Smith murder trial: Live updates as Shane Mays set to give evidence

(not waiting for HL anymore - it's taking too long)

 

[Harchmare]

20 minutes ago
Louise ‘wanted me to be her dad’ claimed Mays
Louise previously lived with the defendant and his wife when they were in Montague Road, North End, Mays has told the court. She was in her early teens at the time.

Texts between Louise and CJ in April this year showed she wanted to call the couple 'mum and dad’.

He said: ‘I’ve always known, since Montague [Road]. She wanted me to be her dad.'

15 minutes ago
Mays admits he had arguments with Louise
Louise was happy when she moved in with Shane and CJ Mays, but this didn’t last, the defendant said.

He said: 'There were arguments - it was about doing chores like washing up, hoovering and cleaning.

‘They were between me and Louise, and sometimes CJ.’

Further arguments broke out about Louise smoking cannabis in the flat, as well as coming home stoned, according to Mays.

12 minutes ago
Louise and her boyfriend ‘took lighters apart’

@DaveGeorgeUK
A windguard for a lighter was found near Louise's burned body, but didn't match any of those found in Mays' flat. The defendant said: 'Louise and Bradley [her boyfriend] would take lighters apart to make the flame bigger, so they could smoke their joints.'

12:48 PM · Dec 2, 2020·Twitter Web App

Louise Smith murder trial: Live updates as Shane Mays set to give evidence

 

[Harchmare]

12:04JAMIE PHILLIPS
Defendant's marriage with Louise's aunt
Shane Mays had been married to Louise aunt, CJ, for five years prior to the teenagers's death.

The court hears how Mays took CJ's surname, instead of the tradition of the woman taking the man's name after marriage, as she did not want his surname.

Mr Mays lived on £50 each fortnight, which would be given to him by CJ. She would also decide what would be done with the money.

He did not have a job and would play various console games for around "nine hours a day".

Louise Smith murder trial updates as defence expected to begin

 

[Harchmare]

12:10JAMIE PHILLIPS
Defendant's fingerprint was on Louise's phone as he would confiscate it, court hears
Shane Mays had a phone, but he did not use it much as he "can't get on with phones".

He would often sell them as he would no longer need them. He never owned a computer device. If he needed a phone, he would use CJ's to "go on eBay or listen to music".

The court also hears that the defendant and his wife would get up at between 11am and 12pm on a typical day.

The jury was told during the conclusion of the prosecution case that Mays' fingerprint had been found on Louise's phone case, which was recovered a short distance from her body in Havant Thicket. However, he says his fingerprint was on the phone as he would often take it from her when she was misbehaving.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as defence expected to begin

 

[Harchmare]

3 minutes ago
Our chief reporter Ben Fishwick is at Winchester Crown Court

Ben Fishwick

@ben_fishwick

Preliminary matters. Mays confirms age, has five sisters, went to Park Community School, can't remember his exam results. Confirms went to Havant Thicket as a child - walking his mother's dogs and camping 3/4 times. Had a job as mechanic after school, tarmacing - no job since 24

12:09 PM · Dec 2, 2020·Twitter Web App

Louise Smith murder trial: Live updates as Shane Mays set to give evidence

(sorry - I'm struggling with copying the tweets PN are quoting in their updates)

 

[Harchmare]

3 minutes ago
Shane Mays ‘sometimes’ got angry with Louise
Being questioned by Andrew Langdon QC, Mays told the court that he lost his temper with Louise, on occasion.

The teenager had told friends she wanted to move out of Ringwood House, saying Shane and CJ were ‘just vile’.

Mays said: ‘We took her off the cannabis and wouldn’t allow Bradley to move in.'

Louise Smith murder trial: Live updates as Shane Mays set to give evidence

 

[Harchmare]

12:24JAMIE PHILLIPS
Shane Mays describes Louise first moving in
Shane Mays tells the court that Louise was 13 when he first met her and he was aware that she "did not get on with her mother very well at all".

He says she "seemed happy" when she first moved into the flat and he knew that Louise wanted to call he and CJ her mum and dad.

Mr Mays says:

I know that she did not get on with her her mother. She seemed happy when she first arrived. She wanted to call me dad and CJ mum.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Harchmare]

1 minute ago
Louise had ‘one drink’ the night before she went missing
The night before Louise went missing, she had a glass of rum mixed with lemonade, Mays said.

‘Me and CJ were going to have a nice quiet drink and Louise was going to have a munch and watch some films,’ he said.

‘I didn’t give her much alcohol.'

That night, Louise sent her friends Snapchats saying she was drunk, and posted one on the morning of May 8 saying she had the ‘worst hangover ever’.

Louise Smith murder trial: Live updates as Shane Mays set to give evidence

 

[Harchmare]

12:31JAMIE PHILLIPS
Relationship with Louise started to deteriorate, court hears
Louise "seemed happy" when the first moved in with her aunt CJ and the defendant Shane Mays, but their relationship changed as time went on, the jury is told, with arguments taking place.

The defendant says:

It started happy, but as time went on it changed. There were arguments about doing chores, washing up, hoovering, cleaning round by her bed. There were arguments between me and Louise and sometimes CJ.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence