Killer admits ‘losing his temper’ in brutal attack on 16-yr-old

‘Man rained punches on niece’

A MAN has admitted killing his 16-year-old niece in a sustained attack after “losing his temper”, but denies her murder.

Shane Mays, 30, “repeatedly punched” Louise Smith during an assault in woodland that he accepts led to or contributed to her death, his lawyer told a court.

Her body was set alight and she was “defiled”, the jury heard.

She was found dead 13 days after her aunt reported her missing in May. James Newton-price, prosecuting, said DNA evidence was 38 million times more likely to have come from Mays than someone else.

The lawyer told the jury : “You may reasonably conclude the person who burned and defiled her body... was Shane Mays. Her killer lured or persuaded her to walk to a remote location. We say you can conclude this was an attack of unimaginable cruelty.”

Louise was living in Havant, Hants, with Mays and his wife.

Mr Newton-price told the court: “There was evidence Louise was unhappy i n the care of [the couple]... Louise was anxious, fragile and... vulnerable to the attentions of a predatory man who was apparently f lir ting with her and living in the same small flat.” Louise, a blood wrelation of Mays’ wife, suffered severe damage to the bones in her face i n the attack.

Mays admits manslaughter.

Andrew Langdon, his lawyer, said: “[He] accepts that having walked with Louise to Havant Thicket he attacked her.

“His case is he did so because of an argument which resulted in his losing control of his temper. But he did not intend to kill her or to cause her really serious injury.”

Louise’s boyfriend , 18, told police: “The way she talked about Shane was like he was flirting with her.

“He would put his arm round her and he would tickle her and pin her down, things like that.”

The murder trial at Wi n c h e s t e r c r o w n court continues.

MURDER TRIAL Mays