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

A man has been found guilty of the "sexually-motivated" murder of a teenager whose body was 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.

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.

The prosecutor 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 but claimed he heard her 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.

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.

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."

Following her death, Louise's family described her as a "smiley, generous... typical 16-year-old girl".

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."

Mays will be sentenced on Wednesday morning.