GUILTY UK - Shana Grice, 19, murdered at her Brighton home, 25 Aug 2016

[Tortoise]

Is the implication that the wipes are from a post sex clean up?

I don't think it was explicitly a petrol fire, I think just flammable liquid had been mentioned so may have been lighter fluid or something. Strange fire to smoulder but not blaze up.

It's very like the murder of Nikitta Grender in some ways.

I think they're implying it was petrol because they have cctv of him filling up a can of petrol the night before.

 

[Squamous]

Ah, ok. He must have just dabbed it around then!!

 

[Tortoise]

I wonder what he was wearing in Chrisdory Road on cctv at 7:29am and if it matches the clothes in the shop at 8:15am.

 

[Tortoise]

The stay at the Langford Hotel on 23rd August is one of the most confusing aspects of this case.

I'd like to know how they know the pair had agreed to stop seeing each other, it has to be hearsay unless Lane has said it. But the forensic evidence refutes it. And Shana was known to have lied to everyone before about seeing him. How can you complain to police about harassment if you're still sleeping with the guy? It could have been a ruse, to say one thing and do another.

And she slept with 3rd guy a week before, so it doesn't lend credibility to AC's position. I wonder if they have proof of the time AC left for work, if it was before her snapchat exchange with 3rd guy. Even that doesn't prove she was alive when he left, it could have been someone pretending to be Shana.

What if Lane went there at 7:30 and did find her dead and panic because he was in the room. And then went back to start the fire to remove evidence he had been in the room.

The other thing that bothers me is the ignitable fluid versus petrol. In the Philpott case the police were able to determine the exact brand of petrol used to start the fire, and compare it with his clothing. But in this case they're not even saying it was petrol.

 

[Tortoise]

Lewes Crown Court was told about the number of times Sussex Police were in contact with Michael Lane in the months leading up to the death of Shana Grice.

8 February - Miss Grice contacted police, feared she was being stalked by Mr Lane after receiving unwanted flowers and claiming that her car had been damaged. Mr Lane was warned by the police to stay away from her.

24 March - Mr Lane allegedly snatched her phone and grabbed her hair. He was arrested on suspicion of assault but was later released and Miss Grice was given a fixed penalty notice by the police for wasting their time.

9 July - Mr Lane used a stolen key to enter Miss Grice's bedroom while she slept. He was arrested for theft and given a police caution.

25 August - Mr Lane was arrested on suspicion of murdering Miss Grice after her body was found at her home in Chrisdory Road



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-39268428

I just wanted to repeat this post and fill in some gaps -

8 February - Miss Grice contacted police, feared she was being stalked by Mr Lane after receiving unwanted flowers and claiming that her car had been damaged. Mr Lane was warned by the police to stay away from her.

March - Ms King told how on the night of a work leaving party at the Mile Oak party in March last year Lane had revealed they were seeing each other and showed her messages.

24 March - Mr Lane allegedly snatched her phone and grabbed her hair. He was arrested on suspicion of assault but was later released and Miss Grice was given a fixed penalty notice by the police for wasting their time.

April - Shana "ended her relationship with AC and shortly after she and Lane officially became an item"

24th June - Shana and Lane went to Rihanna's concert at Wembley.

"by July the relationship had ended and Lane was “upset” about this, Ms King said"

9 July - Mr Lane used a stolen key to enter Miss Grice's bedroom while she slept. He was arrested for theft and given a police caution.

At the beginning of August Lane wrote Miss Grice a letter asking her to pay him back at least a “couple of hundred” pounds for what Ms King called “silly things like car park tickets and meals they’d had together” and perfume he had bought her at the airport when he went on holiday.

23rd August - "she told Lane she wanted to be with Mr Cooke again", the court heard. They booked a hotel and had sexual relations.

25 August - Mr Lane was arrested on suspicion of murdering Miss Grice after her body was found at her home in Chrisdory Road

 

[Squamous]

I don't know how Shana kept track! It's so sad because I don't know if she'll get justice because it's all very hard to prove I think. I don't know if there's any compelling forensics to come?

 

[Tortoise]

I don't know how Shana kept track! It's so sad because I don't know if she'll get justice because it's all very hard to prove I think. I don't know if there's any compelling forensics to come?

I hope so.

I'm still bothered by the ambulance incident where she was seen shouting at AC.

 

[Squamous]

I presume AC has an alibi that works for the morning Shana died? I do think it was ML that killed her but nothing seems very clear cut.

 

[Tortoise]

I presume AC has an alibi that works for the morning Shana died? I do think it was ML that killed her but nothing seems very clear cut.

I'm 50:50.

 

[Squamous]

I'm 50:50.

Who do you think it might be if not ML? AC?

 

[Tortoise]

Who do you think it might be if not ML? AC?

Yes AC.

 

[Legally Bland]

This doesn't make things any clearer (especially the reference to white spirit), but some transcript from police interviews with ML.

Here are some extracts from the penultimate and final interviews, footage of which was played to the jury yesterday:

September 2, 2016, between 12.46pm and 14.05pm


[DC Elmer tells Lane about a message sent to Miss Grice at 7.42am which was never read.


They say this suggests she may have already been dead at this point and possibly killed between 7.25am and 8am.] DC Elmer: “And you’ve obviously told us that you left your house about 8am.


“But the CCTV that we’ve established doesn’t match in with what you have told us.


“Why is there such a difference between what you told us and what can be seen on the CCTV?”


Lane: “Well I said the times were rough times anyway.”


[A CCTV image is shown which shows Lane walking along south along Mile Oak Road between the junction of Chrisdory Road and Sefton Road at 7.29am.] DC Elmer: “We are not talking about five or ten minutes either way here.


“You were already all the way from your house over here [pointing to a map] half an hour before you thought you left.”


*****


[Lane tells detectives he was walking to try to clear his head]


DC Elmer: “Your walking takes you all around Chrisdory Road.”


Lane: “I know it does. I know that.”


DC Taylor: “Come on Michael, tell the truth.”


Lane: “Whatever I say you’re not going to believe me.”


September 2, 2016, between 4.52pm and 6.08pm


[Lane tells detectives for the first time he went to Miss Grice’s house on the morning of her death.


He tells them he went to check on her because her car was still there when she was meant to be at work.] DC Elmer: “If you’re not together any more and you’ve agreed not to speak, is it any of your business why she’s not at work?”


Lane said: “No.”


*****


[DC Elmer asks why Lane did not say before that he was at the house]


Lane: “I know how it looks. I’m just petrified.”


DC Elmer: “So how do you think it looks?”


Lane: “It looks like, well it looks like I did it.”


*****


[When asked what he was thinking when he realised she was dead]


DC Elmer: “Right but, the girl you love more than anything, the girl that you love so much that you were thinking about killing yourself the day before, the girl who you’ve got out of bed that day and driven ... to go and see.


“And agonised about whether to go and talk to her and tell her how you felt ... you’ve just walked into her house and she’s dead on the floor.


“What were you thinking?”


Lane: “Don’t know.


“Panicking, I don’t know what I was thinking.”


DC Elmer: “But you love her more than anything?”


Lane: “Yeah.”


DC Elmer: “So did you try and help her?”


Lane: “No.”


DC Elmer: “Did you call an ambulance?”


Lane: “No.”


DC Elmer: “Why not?”


Lane: “Because I didn’t want to be there and then the police turn up and say that I did it, because I was there, because of all the history and that.”


[Lane tells detectives he went home and had his second shower of the day and then went to check a lottery ticket. Afterwards he went to a dentist appointment] DC Elmer: “I’m just amazed that you, bearing in mind the love of your life has been murdered and you’ve just left her dead on the floor and not told anyone, that you’re checking lottery tickets.


*****


DC Elmer: “So when you got home, what did you do? What were you thinking?


Lane: “How it would look ... that I don’t want to be blamed for it.”


DC Elmer: “So how it would look and you didn’t want to get blamed? You haven’t mentioned anything about poor Shana.”


LANE TELLS COURT WHY HE WAS CARRYING A T-SHIRT


MICHAEL Lane told detectives he left the house with nothing but his phone keys and cash on the morning of Shana Grice’s killing, the court heard.


Police believe she was murdered some time between 7.25am and 8am on August 25.


During interview, Lane was presented with a CCTV image which showed him walking south in Mile Oak Road at 7.29am carrying something that looked like a blue plastic bag.


He was asked what it was and after a long pause said: “Possibly a T-shirt.”


To which Detective Constable Scott Elmer replied: “Come on Michael you must know what it is.”


He agreed it was a blue T-shirt and when asked why he was holding it, he said because he was already wearing a T-shirt and this was a “nice Ralph Lauren T-shirt”.


DC Elmer asked: “I don’t follow you really.


“So, OK, so it’s a nice blue Ralph Lauren T-shirt but why are you carrying it around?”


Lane said: “Just so I can put it on if I need to.”


DC Elmer said: “What possible circumstance could arise that you would need to change your T-shirt whilst you’re out?”


When Lane said he did not know DC Elmer said: “I think that’s really strange.


“Why didn’t you just put that on in the morning when you got dressed?


“I don’t want to go on about it but do you not think that’s a bit strange? Do you understand why I’m lingering on this point?”


Lane replied: “Yeah, but a lot of people think different things are strange to different people, don’t they?”


He added that he had “done it before”.


Detective Constable Lee Taylor later asked him if it was white spirit he was in fact carrying in his hand.

Lane said it was the T-shirt.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/15160262.Accused____lied_and_lied_and_lied_____jury_told/

 

[Legally Bland]

They seem to be having quite short days in court for this trial, I wonder if there's a medical/mental health reason.

________________

Lewes Crown Court 1 T20167363
Michael Lane
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 17 Continues - 11:02
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 12:00 - 11:44
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness evidence concluded - 12:21
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 10:30 - 13:16

http://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Lewes-Crown-Court.php

 

[Tortoise]

It's getting even more confusing now, walking away from the house at 7:29 not towards it. Plus he apparently drove there but is seen walking. Unless he'd parked his car a short distance away. I wonder if they have any forensic evidence from his car.

I'd like to know if AC tried to get in touch with her, or if her work contacted him.

 

[Squamous]

I'm loving this reasoning that he regularly walks around with a spare designer t-shirt just in case. So is the white spirit now the cause of the fire (fits more with the rather rubbish fire imo, not that I'm an expert!).

 

[Tortoise]

Video was taken from homes, shops and 40 separate busses operating in the area at the time.
...
The court was told that footage appeared to show Mr Lane leaving his Portslade home in his car at about 07.25 BST on 25 August.
It was claimed the cameras showed him getting out of the car a few minutes later on a road near Miss Grice's house, but he was then not picked up again for approximately half an hour.
The prosecution alleges that, in that time, he killed Miss Grice at her home in Chrisdory Road.
Police believe Miss Grice died sometime between 07:25 and 08:00 based on the fact that she was conducting a text message conversation with a friend.

...

A police crime scene investigator who carried out an examination of Miss Grice's house also said there appeared to be a knife missing from a knife block in the kitchen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-39293749

 

[sar2them1984]

Ok so im confused. I dont know what to think. Its certainly not as clear cut as what i initially thought this trial would be.

A couple of things i would like clarifying:

1. Why was ML arrestes on that one instance but then Shana given a fixed penalty fine for wasting police time? Was it that shed lied about wjat had happened or was there some other reason.

2. What was the ambulance incident?

3. When was the holiday that ML took which resulted in him buying het perfumes - im guessing that is a strong indicator of when they were an item

4. Where were the housemates on that morning?

5. Who contacted who regarding shana not being at work? Seems quite quick for work to contact emergency contact plus seems strange AC being that given they seemed to have a rather off/on relationship. I would have thought for a person of that age their emergency contact would have been a family member

6. This one may have already been answered but i wonder what exactly it was that pointed police to ML so quickly



Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Tortoise]

Agree with all your questions sar.

 

[Tortoise]

I'm not sure why they are saying between 7:25 and 8:00 when he was walking in the opposite direction at 7:29.

 

[sar2them1984]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/39293749

So ACs dad was asked to check on Shana as she hadnt turned up at work? Who by? Again my previous question would still stand. Im presuminh AC asked him. How would AC know she wasnt at work amd what would make them feel the need for someone to check on her?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk