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Shane Mays has been jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 25 years for the “brutal” murder of 16-year-old Louise Smith.
Mays was convicted at Winchester Crown Court Tuesday for the murder in Havant, Hampshire, May 8.
The 30-year-old “predator” is believed to have lured the teenager to an isolated location in a forest on VE Day, with the aim of sexually assaulting her, before repeatedly striking her in the face, causing fatal injuries.
Mays is believed to have lured the teenager to a secluded forest
He then desecrated her with a stick, before burning her body, which was found 13 days after a police search.
The victim had recently moved in with Mays and his wife Chazlynn Jayne (CJ) Mays, Louise’s aunt, after an argument with her mother, the court heard.
However, arguments broke out between the trio, and Louise complained to her boyfriend, Bradley Kercher, that the defendant would “flirt” with her and immobilize her.
The jury was shown a Snapchat video of him tickling her feet.
James Newton-Price QC, the prosecutor, said at trial: “Louise was only 16 years old, 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 apartment. “
The judge, Judge May, said: “Shane Mays was in a position of trust in relation to Louise, his was like a father-daughter relationship.
Louise Smith’s body was not found for 13 days
“That being the case, he committed the most serious breach of trust.”
“I’m not convinced that her learning disability has mitigated this in any way, as Shane Mays clearly recognized that Louise was young, had mental health problems and was under his and CJ’s care.”
“The sudden death of anyone is tragic, but the death of a vulnerable child is particularly painful.”
In a statement about the victim’s impact read in court, Louise’s mother, Rebecca Cooper, said: “You killed my daughter Louise in such a traumatic way, but then doing what you did next is beyond words. You are a monster What gave you the right to do that?
“You hurt her so much that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, hold her hand, or even kiss her. I will never forgive you for this.
“You came to my house the day you killed her, you looked me in the eyes without remorse when you knew that what you had done was pure evil. You have made us relive what you did to Louise.”
Louise had moved in with the defendant
Mays admitted his murder and told the court that he hit Louise “many” times in the face and heard her bones “break” after losing patience.
He said, “I kept going, I lost control of myself. She made a moaning sound, that’s when I stopped.”
Louise’s blood was found on Mays’ shoes and a billion-to-one DNA match was found on the stick.
In a clinical review of Mays for the jury, the defendant was said to have an IQ of 63, putting him in the bottom 1% of people, with Andrew Langdon QC representing Mays, adding that he was assessed that he had learning difficulties and a personality disorder.
