Teen murdered by stalker wasting police fined for was time when she reported him
A TEENAGER may not have been killed by a stalker had police listened to her fears instead of fining her for wasting their time, her family said yesterday.
Shana Grice, 19, was so terrified by former lover Michael Lane that she reported him five times for harassment.
But her second complaint landed her with the fixed penalty.
A few weeks after her final call to police, she was ambushed by the 27-year-old in her home. He slit her throat and left her dying on her bed before setting fire to the room.
After Lane was convicted of murder at Lewes Crown Court yesterday, Miss Grice’s family hit out at Sussex Police.
‘We firmly believe her murder could have been prevented if her fears had been listened to and taken seriously by police,’ said her mother Sharon.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the case. The court was told Miss Grice first contacted officers last February 8 to say Lane had been following her. On March 24 police were called to deal with an incident in which Lane pulled her hair and tried to grab her phone.
But the following day officers issued Miss Grice with a fixed penalty notice for wasting police time in failing to disclose she had been in a relationship with Lane.
On July 9 Lane was cautioned by police and warned to stay away from Miss Grice. He had stolen a back door key and let himself into her house to watch her sleeping. The following day Miss Grice called police again to report receiving around seven phone calls from a withheld number, including one with heavy breathing.
Miss Grice was told the report would be left on file.
Her last complaint about stalking was made on July 12. She was murdered at her Brighton home a few weeks later, on August 25.
Lewes Crown Court was told Miss Grice had been in a longterm relationship with Ashley Cooke, 27, since 2013.
But in June 2015 she started a relationship with Lane, who quickly proved to be obsessive. ‘The obsession with her translated into killing her,’ said Philip Bennetts QC, prosecuting.
‘He would not allow anyone else to be with her.’
Lane bought a tracker device and fitted it to the bumper of Miss Grice’s car so he could follow her movements. Days after he stole her door key Miss Grice woke to hear footsteps.
‘She hid under the duvet and heard her bedroom door open and a male breathing in the room,’ said Mr Bennetts. ‘ He remained for about a minute before he left. When she was satisfied he had gone, she looked out of her bedroom window and saw Lane walking away from the property.’
Police arrested him and, after finding the key, issued a caution.
The court heard the pair met up afterwards, texted each other and even had sex two days before the murder.
However Mr Bennetts said Lane ‘ could not, would not accept’ that they were not
‘She’ll pay for what she has done’
together and told a friend: ‘ She’ll pay for what she’s done.’ In the days before the murder Lane texted Miss Grice to say: ‘No one will ever replace you. It has to be goodbye forever.’
Mr Bennetts added: ‘ On August 25, after Ashley Cooke had left the address, Mr Lane went in and slit her throat and, no doubt intending to destroy any evidence of his presence, set fire to the room.’
Miss Grice’s burnt body was found face down with her head hanging over the side of the bed. Police arrested Lane shortly after lunchtime that day. His bloody trainers were found in a field and his T-shirt was found in undergrowth.
CCTV footage from a petrol station showed Lane filling a fuel canister. As the jury convicted him of murder there were gasps and shouts from Miss Grice’s family, many of whom broke down in tears.
The case was adjourned until today for sentencing.