‘Killer’ uncle, 30, admits punching niece, 16, in face until her bones ‘cracked’ but then ‘forgot’ about attack
A MAN accused of killing his 16-year-old niece in a sexually motivated murder today told a court he punched her in the face until her bones “cracked”.
Shane Mays is accused of smashing Louise Smith’s skull in with a log before returning to “destroy” her body in an act of “unimaginable cruelty”.
The teenager was discovered two weeks later “severely decomposed” with her jaw bone completely detached and her body “burned and violated” with “breathtaking brutality”.
Mays today told jurors at Winchester Crown Court he attacked his niece after she got “aggressive” and hit him with a stick in a row over her smoking cannabis.
But the 30-year-old, who has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder, said he “did not kill” Louise and forgot about the attack in Havant.
Mays said: “She picked up this big stick and hit me on the side with it.
“I grabbed the branch threw it against the floor and I punched her… in the face.
“I was angry with what she did the night before and just then. The first punch she was standing. Second punch she went down.”
From there, Mays returned home to his wife CJ – Louise’s aunt – where Louise had been staying.
When asked why he continued to batter the schoolgirl as she lay defenceless on the ground, Mays continued: “Because I was angry and lost control of myself.
“I’m not sure [if I broke her nose] I heard cracks but I’m not sure.”
He told the court he then left bloodied Louise in the woodland – only looking back once when he heard her “moaning”.
From there, Mays went to his mum’s house to pick up a HDMI cable and later “convinced” himself he hadn’t hurt her.
He added: “I convinced myself it wasn’t true. [I only remembered] When I went to prison in Bristol.”
Timeline of Louise's death
May 7 – Final CCTV images showed Louise walking with Mays from Tesco after getting ice
May 8, morning – Louise sends a Snapchat from her phone – the last-ever taken of the teen
May 8, 12pm – Phone evidence showed she left home and headed towards Havant Thicket. CJ later tells a pal she was seen leaving with Mays at midday.
May 8, 12.49pm – A final text is sent from Louise’s phone
May 8, 1pm – Louise’s phone pings to a phone mast in Havant Thicket
May 8, 3pm – Louise’s boyfriend arrives at the Mays house to meet her but she isn’t there. CJ ‘frantically’ calls her
May 8, 4.07pm – Mays goes out to buy pizza as CJ and Louise’s boyfriend look for her. He returns home at 5.02pm
May 8, 6.32pm – CJ calls the police and reports Louise missing
May 8, onwards – Mays and CJ are visited by police over the next few days. Mays tells officers he would “lock Louise in the bedroom if she returned” and asks if it was “ok to restrain her”.
May 21, 11.45am – Louise’s body is found in Havant Thicket
Jurors previously heard how “easily-led” Louise had been staying with her aunt and Mays in the two weeks leading up to her death after rowing with her mum.
At first the trio “got on” and Louise wrote in texts to CJ how she wanted to call the pair “mum and dad” and spoke of their “perfect family”.
But jurors were told the relationship soured and Louise told a friend Mays was “flirting with her”.
A Snapchat video was also shown to jurors of Mays “tickling” Louise’s feet.
Mays today said he did not remember the specific incident shown but admitted he did tickle Louise, describing it as “playful.”
He added: “I would do all sorts. I would do it to all the kids what come round to stay.”
The court heard previously how the teen vanished at around 12.49pm on May 8 after being “lured” to the woods by Mays.
He was seen on the footage at around 3.11pm making his way to his mum’s house as Louise’s body lay “terribly defiled” in the woods, jurors heard.
Once he got there, he sipped on Coke while complaining of stomach pains.
From there, Mays returned home to his wife.
After Louise failed to return home, the court was told Mays went to buy four pizzas from the shop as wife CJ frantically called her missing niece.
When her body was found, Mays was charged with murder and his wife was freed on bail, it was said.
He originally told police he had walked with Louise to a skatepark in Emsworth, but later changed his version by admitting to causing her death at Havant Thicket, it was said.
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Mays has an intermediary with him in the dock to help him understand proceedings as he “suffers from learning disabilities”.
He denies one charge of murder but admits manslaughter.
The trial continues.