Louise Smith death: Shane Mays guilty of murdering teenager in woods

Louise Smith had moved in with her aunt who is married to Shane Mays

A man has been found guilty of the "sexually-motivated" murder of a teenager whose body he set on fire.

Louise Smith, 16, was found dead at Havant Thicket, Hampshire, on 21 May - 13 days after she went missing.

Shane Mays, 30, who is married to Louise's aunt, said he punched her in an argument but claimed she was alive when he left her in the woods.

Mays, who admitted manslaughter, was convicted of murder by a jury at Winchester Crown Court.

He showed no emotion as the verdict was read out, while cries of "yes" could be heard from the public gallery.

Shane Mays will be sentenced on Wednesday morning

Louise came to live with the couple in late April after an argument with her mother.

Mays "flirted" with the "anxious and vulnerable" teenager, including tickling her feet in a video found on her phone, jurors heard.

James Newton-Price QC, prosecuting, said Mays lured the teenager to a clearing on 8 May, attempted to sexually assault her and then killed her to "silence" her.

Louise's body, which the court heard was "dreadfully treated" and burned, was found almost two weeks later after extensive searches by specialist teams.

She had suffered "repeated, heavy blows" to the head but the cause of death could not be determined due to the fire, the jury was told.

Giving evidence during his trial, Mays, of Ringwood House, Leigh Park, claimed the teenager lured him to the clearing so that they could talk alone but ended up in a violent argument about her drug use.

Mays said he "lost control" as he punched her repeatedly as she lay on the ground. He claimed she was still alive and "moaning" as he walked away.

But the prosecution said it was actually Mays who had persuaded Louise to walk with him to the woodland by offering her cannabis, with the aim of sexually assaulting her.

He was later seen on CCTV calmly buying pizzas after murdering Louise.

Louise's parents, Bradley Smith and Rebbecca Cooper, described the "unbelievable pain" of her loss

Mays, who was assessed by a psychologist as having an extremely low IQ of 63, said he forgot what he had done until he was in prison on remand in June.

In a statement following the verdict, Rebbecca Cooper, Louise's mother, said: "No words can describe the loss we feel on a daily basis. She was our sunshine and is truly missed by all that knew her.

"...the pain inside is unbelievable, just knowing we will never see her again."

Louise's father, Bradley Smith, said in a statement: "We all find it impossible to accept that we will never hear her voice or see her cheeky smile again.

"Our chance to see her grow up has been ripped away from us. As a father, I moved away to try and build a life for both of us. I'll never get a chance to share that with her. The loss of Louise has destroyed our family."

Reacting to the verdict, Det Insp Adam Edwards said: "It's brilliant to get justice for Louise's family and friends. They lost her in the most tragic of circumstances.

"The defilement of her body was shocking. It's something all officers at the scene will have to live with for the rest of their lives."

The teenager, who had a social worker, was descried as vulnerable during the trial.

Jurors were shown a message she sent to her aunt - May's wife - in which she wrote: "I have had an amazing life, I hate the fact I am so childish, it's only because I have not been able to be a child."

Following her death, Louise's family described her as a "smiley, generous... typical 16-year-old girl" who was training to be a veterinary nurse.

They added: "Louise... enjoyed spending time with her friends. She loved animals and being outdoors.

"She will be remembered as a smiley, generous person who loved her family and was loved by all."

Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership said it was undertaking a review of Louise's case.

Mays will be sentenced on Wednesday morning.