A 30-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering teenager Louise Smith with “breath-taking brutality”.
Shane Mays, who is married to Louise’s aunt, lured her to a secluded spot in Havant Thicket, Hampshire, on 8 May, where he repeatedly punched her in the face, causing fatal injuries.
He then defiled her body with a stick before setting it on fire, the court heard. Louise’s body was found 13 days later following a major police search.
The defendant showed no emotion as the unanimous guilty verdict was announced, and cries of “Yes” could be heard from the public gallery.
James Newton-Price QC, prosecuting, told the trial at Winchester Crown Court: “A determined attempt had been made to destroy her body, which was so badly burned and damaged by fire as to be unrecognisable.
“Her body had been subjected to extreme violence and violation, including repeated and heavy blows to her head.”
Louise, a student, had moved in with her aunt Chazlynn Jayne (CJ) Mays and the defendant at the end of April after she had “quarrelled” with her mother.
But the three had arguments, with Louise complaining to her boyfriend, Bradley Kercher, that Mays would “flirt” with her and pin her down. The jury was shown a Snapchat video of him tickling the “vulnerable” teenager’s feet.
“Louise was just 16, she was anxious, needy, fragile and vulnerable, vulnerable to the attentions of a predatory man who was apparently flirting with her and living in the same small flat,” said Mr Newton-Price.
He suggested that Mays persuaded Louise to go to the woodland with him by offering her cannabis, with the aim of sexually assaulting her.
Mays, who admitted manslaughter, told the court he lost his temper and punched the teenage girl “many” times to the face and had heard her bones “crack”.
He said: “I just carried on, I lost control of myself. She made a moaning noise, that’s when I stopped.”
He told the court he had not worked for five years and spent nine hours a day playing video games.
Louise, who was training to be a veterinary nurse, was described by her family as a “smiley, generous person”.
The case was adjourned for sentencing on Wednesday by the judge, Ms Justice May. She thanked the jury, adding: “You cannot have imagined that you would be sitting on a case like this.
“I want to thank each of you for the attention you have given and your attendance during the pandemic.”
