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

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14:17ALEX BOYD
When Shane Mays got to his mother's house
The prosecutor reads part of Shane Mays' mother's statement.

She described her son as "hot and sweaty" upon arrival, and he told her that he had just walked Louise to Emsworth.

When his mother asked why he had done that, he did not reply, the prosecutor said.

Shane said the same thing to his wife, to Louise's boyfriend and to police when he was interviewed on May 13.

He stayed there for about 15 mins, having a drink and watching some of the VE Day celebrations on television.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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2 minutes ago
CCTV of Mays played to jury
The jury has been played footage of Mays walking down Swanmore Road, past the primary school on the way to his mother’s house.

Newton-Price, prosecuting, said: ‘The view we have of Shane Mays is very fleeting but it is unmistakeably him. You can tell it’s him by the red top.'

When he arrived at his mother’s, he was 'sweating heavily’ and told her he had walked her to Emsworth. When his mother asked why, he did not answer, the court was told.

 

[Legally Bland]

14:19ALEX BOYD
Mr Mays then caught on CCTV multiple times
After leaving his mother's house, Mr Mays was then caught on a number of CCTV cameras walking, prior to getting home to Somborne Drive and Ringwood House.

He then told Bradley, Louise's boyfriend, that he walked Louise to Emsworth skate park.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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1 minute ago
‘Repetition of the same lie’
After visiting his mother, Mays repeated the same lie about going to Emsworth to CJ Mays and Louise’s friend, who had come to Ringwood House to meet her.

Newton-Price said: ‘It was a repetition of the same lie - he didn’t want to tell her [CJ]. Emsworth is nowhere near Havant Thicket, where he’s just been.'

CJ was ‘frantically’ trying to find Louise with a plethora of phone calls, the prosecutor added.

 

[Legally Bland]

14:25ALEX BOYD
CJ made 9 calls to Louise's phone
CJ Mays made 9 calls to Louise's phone between 4.10pm and 4.42pm on May 8, all of which went unanswered but were picked up by multiple phone masts that cover the Havant Thicket area.

The prosecutor said that those phone masts did not cover Emsworth skate park.

Louise's phone disconnected from the mobile phone network at 5.01pm - Mr Newton-Price QC said that was probably due to the phone battery running out.


14:27ALEX BOYD
Phone call made to the police
CJ Mays made a phone call to police at 6.32pm on May 8, saying Louise had not returned home and her phone was off.

By that point, Louise was past her 6pm curfew that was imposed by her aunt.

Mr Newton-Price QC said that both Shane and Bradley were present when CJ made that call.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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On the evening of May 8, Shane Mays went out to buy pizzas for him, CJ and Louise. But 'he already knew Louise was dead' said the prosecutor.

 

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Just before 5pm, Shane had been seen on CCTV again buying pizza from a Tesco.

On a later call, CJ told police that she was getting "really worried now" and had been told that she was at a skate park in Emsworth.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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At 1am on May 9, a police officer visited to gather some more information.

Both CJ and Shane Mays were present.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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14:33ALEX BOYD
Shane Mays 'barely said a word' to police
The prosecutor said that Shane Mays "barely said a word" when police officers had called round to Ringwood House on a few occasions.

Mr Mays did tell police that he and Louise got on well.

He also made another comment, asking police if he could "lock Louise in a bedroom if she returned".

On another occasion when police visited, he told officers that he had searched a number of places for the teenager.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

[Legally Bland]

34 seconds ago
Mays told police he would ‘lock’ Louise in the bedroom if she returned
When two officers went to Ringwood House to speak with CJ and Shane, the former did most of the talking.

Newton-Price, prosecuting, said: 'Shane Mays was present during the conversation but barely said a word. He said they had a good relationship but she contacted boys a lot on social media.

‘He then said he would lock Louise in the bedroom if she returned and asked if it was okay to restrain her.’

 

[Legally Bland]

He also claimed on one instance that he had walked to Tesco with Louise on May 8 and then watched her walk away up nearby Billy Lawn Avenue.

He walked police along the route he claimed to have walked Louise to Tesco - they were all picked up on CCTV doing so.

The prosecutor said that, if he had walked that route with Louise, the pair would also have featured on CCTV from May 8. They did not, he said, and submitted that Mr Mays had lied.

As well as that, Mr Mays mentioned to police that Bradley and Louise had had an argument.

He said that Bradley had been told that Louise had cheated on him.

Mr Newton-Price QC submitted that this was "an attempt to deflect police attention".

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

[Legally Bland]

14:42ALEX BOYD
May 14 - CJ and Shane arrested
On May 14, CJ and Shane were both arrested on suspicion of kidnap.

Both were interviewed by police.

Mr Newton-Price QC submitted that Mr Mays "told a series of lies that were intended to deflect blame".

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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2 minutes ago
Mays ‘told a series of lies’ when arrested
After Mays’ claims to police about a trip to Tesco with Louise turned out to be false, CJ and Shane were both arrested on May 14, on suspicion of kidnap.

When interviewed, Shane Mays told police a number of lies to throw them off the scent, Newton-Price argues.

He said: ‘He knew he had killed her, he knew where the body was, but he plainly didn’t want to admit that.

‘He told a series of lies to deflect blame.’

 

[Legally Bland]

14:47ALEX BOYD
More from Mr Mays' interview
In interview, Mr Mays talked police through the route he claimed he and Louise had taken to Emsworth Skate Park.

Mr Newton-Price QC said that the pair were not picked up on any CCTV footage along that route.

He submitted to the jury that his account was "completely untrue" and that the journey never to Emsworth never happened.

Mr Mays also gave the route he said he walked back on after dropping off Louise - he was not picked up on CCTV then either.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

[Legally Bland]

45 seconds ago
CCTV undoes Mays’ lies to police
The court has heard of how Mays told police he had walked Louise to Emsworth Park, via Bartons Road.

Prosecuting, James Newton-Price said: 'The account of this route he told police was completely untrue.

‘There are no CCTV sightings of them on this route at all.’

Joining the search, he told people he last saw her at Emsworth Park and insisted she might have been staying at a friends house.

‘He’s clearly trying to divert blame to other people,' Newton-Price added.

‘He said he had been stitched up - and added that Louise was trouble and she told lies.'

 

[Legally Bland]

14:51ALEX BOYD
A break in proceedings
Another short break has been called in court.

Mr Newton-Price QC will resume again in around 10 to 15 minutes.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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15:10ALEX BOYD
Proceedings back under way again
The court is now sitting again.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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15:15ALEX BOYD
Now talking jury through the discovery of Louise's body
Mr Newton-Price QC is now talking the jury through events surrounding the discovery of Louise's body in Havant Thicket on May 21.

He is going to discuss how Louise's body was found and the nature of the injuries, and jurors will also see photos of the scene, with some bits blacked-out in places.

The prosecutor has said that photographs of the body itself are "too distressing" to show, and they will not be shown.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

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He said that evidence from Louise's body suggests that Mr Mays had a "sexual interest" in the teenager.

15:18KEY EVENT
When police found Louise's body
Police were told to search a northern area of Havant Thicket, covering 85,000 square metres.

The search was "slow and methodical", with officers walking slowly in a line.

At around 11.45am on May 21, officers were searching an area that was about 40 metres away from the track.

Louise's body was found behind two fallen tree trunks.

Mr Newton-Price QC said the tree trunks were "scorched" in certain places.

Live updates from court as Louise Smith murder trial begins

 

[Legally Bland]

7 minutes ago
Prosecutor claims Mays had a ‘sexual interest’ in Louise
Newton-Price said her body had been ‘damaged and defiled’ when it was found by police.

On May 21, it was found to the left of a fallen tree by officers.

Photos of her body have been blacked out for the jury. The prosecutor explained: 'The actual photos of her body are too distressing to show.

‘That treatment of her body suggests the defendant had a sexual interest in Louise.’