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

[Harchmare]

56 seconds ago
‘I did not kill her’

Replying to
@DaveGeorgeUK
Mays now being questioned by James Newton-Price QC, prosecuting. He repeats again: 'I did not kill Louise.'

3:12 PM · Dec 2, 2020·Twitter Web App

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

 

[Harchmare]

14:13JAMIE PHILLIPS
Defendant and Louise walked into woodland clearing together, court hears
Shane Mays is being asked by his barrister Mr Landon QC about where he and Louise walked together.

The pair were talking about Louise's relationship with Bradley when they walked into a clearing in the woodlands of Havant Thicket.



I followed her into a clearing. She did not say where she was going. We started talking about Bradley and talking about when they argue. We were sitting on some logs. We were talking about the way they argue and and I said it is the same way me and CI argue. It does not mean you are going off them, it just means you are spending too much time with them.



We talked about other things as well.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Harchmare]

1 minute ago
Mays ‘not sure’ if he left her to die
Prosecuting Mays, James Newton-Price said: ‘You heard her bones crack. You saw she was bleeding. She fell to the floor and you carried on punching her on the floor, so many times you can’t remember how many.

‘Did you leave her dying?’

Mays replied: ‘I’m not sure.'

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

 

[Harchmare]

14:18JAMIE PHILLIPS
Argument broke out between defendant and Louise during walk, court hears
The court hears that the mood of the conversation between Shane Mays and Louise Smith changed when the topic of drugs was brought up.

The mood changed. brought up drugs. She wanted to do weed again and I said it is not a good idea. She said she suffers with depression and I said I know all about that. She got all like aggressive about it and started shouting and raising her voice.



She said about taking weed again and I said 'you don't want to end up like your mum'. She did not react very well.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Harchmare]

14:23KEY EVENT
Shane Mays punched Louise Smith repeatedly, court hears

Shane Mays says a fight broke out after the argument, during which he was hit with a stick and responded by punching Louise Smith to the floor. He then leaned over the 16-year-old and continued to punch her, the court hears.

She picked up a big stick and hit me on the side with it [Mays points to the left of his ribs]. It hurt. I grabbed it off her her and threw it on the floor and then I punched her.

I punched her face. I was angry for what she did the night before and just then. The first punch she was standing, the second time she went down.

When she was on the ground the punching continued. I was bending over. I did not know how many times [he punched her]. I lost control of myself.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Harchmare]

I'm off for a bit. Thanks for taking over, @Legally Bland!

Back later.

 

[Legally Bland]

I'm good to take over now @Harchmare.

 

[Harchmare]

I'm good to take over now @Harchmare.

Thanks!

 

[Legally Bland]

DBM.

 

[Legally Bland]

14:30JAMIE PHILLIPS
Shane Mays left Louise Smith 'moaning' on the floor in woodlands, court hears


Shane Mays continues to describe the altercation with Louise.

I got up and walked away and I heard her moaning and then I carried on walking. She had blood on her face when I punched her.

Asked if he knew he had broken bones in her face, he responds by saying he "heard cracks", but he was not sure.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Legally Bland]

14:35JAMIE PHILLIPS
Defendant did not mean to kill or cause serious harm to Louise, jury is told
Asked by his barrister Mr Langdon if the intention was to kill her or cause serious harm, Mays simply responds: "no."

He adds that he left Louise and walked to his mother's house to collect an HDMI cable before returning to the flat in Ringwood House.

Asked why he told his family and police that he had walked her to Emsworth, Mays replied it was because "that is what I thought I did".

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Legally Bland]

10 minutes ago
Mays ‘feels sorry’ for Louise
Mays is being questioned by James Newton-Price, QC.

He asked the defendant: ‘Do you feel sorry for Louise, and the fact she died? Is there anything more you can tell us about how she died and how her body was so dreadfully treated?’

Shane said he did ‘feel sorry’ but replied: ‘I can’t.'


6 minutes ago
Mays claims to not get angry easily

@DaveGeorgeUK
Replying to @DaveGeorgeUK
Prosecuting, James Newton-Price QC asked Shane Mays if he gets angry easily. He said it 'takes a while' to rile him up, but says he hits out at objects when angry. 'Do you punch people?' asked the prosecutor? 'No,' Mays replied

 

[Legally Bland]

1 minute ago
‘It was the right thing to say’
When interviewed by police, Mays remarked that he would ‘lock Louise in the flat’ when she returned.

Asked why he said this by Mr Newton-Price QC, he said: ‘I thought it was the right thing to say when someone tries to run away.'

‘But she was dead at that time, wasn’t she?' Newton-Price added?

Mays replied: ‘I’m not sure.'

 

[Legally Bland]

14:42JAMIE PHILLIPS
Shane Mays did not tell his wife what had happened, court hears
Shane Mays did not tell his wife CJ, Louise's aunt, what had happened when he returned to the flat on May 8, nor did he in the days that followed.

He went to look for Louise, but "did not know where she was", he tells the court.

Asked why he did not tell police where she was, instead saying he "would love to know", Mays says he did not know where she was at the time. Despite having walked with her to the clearing, he says he could not remember the route.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Legally Bland]

14:44JAMIE PHILLIPS
Defendant denies sexually assaulting or raping Louise
Mr Langdon QC finishes his questions to Shane Mays by asking if he sexually assaulted or raped Louise.

Mays denies both.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Legally Bland]

14:45JAMIE PHILLIPS
Prosecution questions begin
James Newton-Price QC, prosecuting, has now started questioning Mays.

He runs through the defendant's account of events, before asking him if he left Louise to die. He denies this.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Legally Bland]

14:49KEY EVENT
'You punched her repeatedly to the head', court is told
Continuing to run through events, Mr Newton-Price QC says:

You punched her repeatedly to the head and heard her bones crack, you saw she was bleeding., she fell to the floor and you carried on punching her on the floor so many times you cannot remember how many and you left her there?

Mays agrees with the prosecutor's statement.

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Legally Bland]

Spoiler: Graphic

14:52JAMIE PHILLIPS
'Who burned her body?', prosecutor asks

Mr Newton-Price QC continues:

Who burned her body? Who made a hole in her stomach? Who put a stick up her vagina?

Mr Mays answers "not me" to all three questions and tells the court "it was not me".

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence

 

[Legally Bland]

20 seconds ago
Mays says Louise was ‘sometimes difficult’
Despite wanting to be her dad, Shane Mays says Louise was sometimes difficult and had to be treated ‘like a child’.

Prosecuting, Mr Newton-Price QC said: ‘Did you want to have that family arrangement in your life:? Even if she wasn’t your daughter?'

Mays replied: ‘Yes.’

 

[Legally Bland]

14:57JAMIE PHILLIPS
Defendant admits to having 'short fuse', court hears
Shane Mays admits to the court that he has a "short fuse".

He then agrees that when this builds up, he can become violent and can take his anger out on the people he is with.

Mays says, though, that he punches "objects and not people".

Louise Smith murder trial updates as Shane Mays gives evidence