Latest Offenders Havant

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A man has been jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years for the murder of 16-year-old Louise Smith from Leigh Park.

Louise, who had been described as ‘smiley and generous’ by those close to her, was reported missing to police on Friday 8 May this year, before her body was discovered in an area of woodland at Havant Thicket 13 days later.

Following an extensive search of the area and an investigation by Hampshire Constabulary, 30-year-old Shane Lee Mays was arrested and later charged with Louise’s murder.

Despite admitting playing a part in Louise’s death and entering a guilty plea to manslaughter, Mays denied murder and the case proceeded to trial at Winchester Crown Court on Monday 16 November.

After deliberating for approximately two hours following the conclusion of the trial yesterday (Tuesday 8 December), the jury unanimously convicted Mays, of Somborne Drive in Leigh Park, of murder.

Sentencing Mays, Mrs Justice Juliet May said: "Every crime of murder not only ends one life, but grievously harms others.

"As [Louise's] mother says, it is every mother's worst nightmare. 

"Shane Mays was in a position of trust. Theirs was like a father-daughter relationship, like he said at trial. That being so, in killing Louise he committed the most gross abuse of trust."

Mrs Justice May commended the work of the Hampshire Constabulary investigation team involved in this case.

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Adam Edwards, Senior Investigating Officer for the case, said: “This was a shocking attack on a vulnerable young girl which tragically resulted in her death.

“Mays has shown no remorse throughout this case, and has lied to police in a bid to deflect any blame for Louise’s murder away from himself.

“I am pleased that the jury were able to see through these lies, and he will now spend a considerable length of time in prison for what he has done.

“Our thoughts remain with all of Louise’s family and friends."

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After being tracked across Hampshire by number plate recognition and arrested, Paintin denied engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Paintin instructed lawyers to defend him on the basis he was 'holding a bird that had got free in his car' after braking hard on the motorway - but could not even bring himself to repeat his ludicrous lies in front of a jury.

Jurors just took 26 minutes to convict him having heard he had a conviction in 2008 for following a school bus performing a sex act in his car, and another in 2011 for offering a 16-year-old girl 'a tenner' if she would perform a lewd act.

Jailing him for two and a half years on Wednesday, judge Roger Hetherington said: 'This isn't just exhibitionism it's more like an assault in a way.'

He added: 'It was quite a disgraceful thing to have done.'

Jurors were shocked as it was revealed the defendant goes by eight aliases and has 47 convictions for 29 offences.

Bravely giving evidence at the trial, the young boy rejected Paintin's claim he was holding a bird - pointing out he knew what a bird looked like.

In a police video the victim, who suffers from nightmares since the incident, said: 'He wiggled it at me side to side. Then I looked up and he was trying to do it again when I was looking at him and then he left.'

Answering police questions, the boy said he told his mum: 'That man who just left is a bad man because he showed me (himself).'

The boy told officers he had waved - in a style he picked from the TV children's character Justin, who plays Mr Tumble - before Paintin embarked on his vile act.

Praising her son for going through the court process bravely, his mother said: 'I'm immensely proud of him. I feel angry that he had to go through this and I feel angry that a guilty plea was not made.'

The boy's dad added: 'Abuse is endemic and children need emotional support and they need for a system to work for them - to believe them, to listen to them - and we are grateful in this case that has happened.'

Both praised DC Mark Reynolds for investigating and urged child abuse victims to come forward.

In court, prosecutor Martyn Booth said Paintin had a 'troubling and concerning attraction towards children'.

Addressing the judge before the jury trial started, prosecutor Martyn Booth said: 'The crown's case is that he was exposing and playing with (himself).

'The defence case is that he was holding a bird that had got free in his car and that must've been what the boy had seen.'

Sam Barker, defending, had urged the judge to sentence him another day as Paintin had '200 birds and he has not set in place any care for those'.

He added: 'In the circumstances he would either wish to free them or sell them so that they don't suffer unnecessary suffering'.

Judge Hetherington gave the defendant bail to sort out the birds at around 1pm ordering him to be back by 2pm for sentencing. Paintin fled court with his key in hand - but returned in time to be jailed.

Paintin must sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order bans him from being with children.

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A SON sexually abused by his own mother as a child has spoken out after she was spared jail, saying: "She's dead to me."

Andrew Stevens told The News his life has been ruined after his mother Linda Denham-Larholt, now 67, exploited him as a young boy.

He was barely a teenager when she forced him to touch her breasts while pretending to comfort him in her bed, a court heard.

She preyed on him while his late step-father John was away in Saudi Arabia.

Andrew, now 44, who has waived his anonymity to speak out, told The News: "I want to think of her as being dead."

"I don't care what happens to her. I'm not going to give her that any more."

"I've got to let go and just move on and be an orphan, it's better that way. It has seriously screwed me up."

"I hate her for what she's done."

At the Portsmouth Crown Court trial, prosecutor Rufus Taylor said the pair had an "odd relationship".

The court heard when Andrew asked his mother why he had no memory of his childhood and if he should see a counsellor, she said: "They'd probably just say that you were sexually abused."

Andrew had previously told police in Hampshire about the abuse.

But he was dealt a hammer blow when police said "a jury would never believe a mother would do such a thing to her son," Andrew said.

The court heard she was visited by police in 1999 and denied the allegations but was not interviewed.

Hampshire police has since said the force has no record of this but officers are now aware of how to deal with allegations.

It was only in 2015 he went back to the force, which launched an investigation.

Sussex Police later took over.

Yesterday a judge handed Denham-Larholt, of Bartons Road, Havant, a six-month jail term suspended for two years with a one-month curfew and electronic tag.

Recorder Michael Vere-Hodge QC ordered her to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years after she was convicted of indecency with a child at a trial last month.

The judge said he imposed a sentence "on the basis of an isolated incident of incitement to commit an act of gross indecency".

Addressing the defendant, he said: "On one occasion you encouraged, or your son was already in your bed for comforting, and you incited him to feel your breasts."

He added: "It doesn't need me to emphasise that this is highly unusual for a mother to commit such an offence on her own son."

"And, of course, it brings naturally considerable public distaste and condemnation."

He added the crime was "bad enough" but not of the "worst kind" of indecency.

Denham-Larholt, who denied all the charges, was cleared of indecent assault against her son when he was a child and another charge when he was an adult.

Jordan Franks, mitigating, said she suffers from COPD and asthma and there was 'trauma' in the family.

Probation said Denham-Larholt, who has depression and anxiety, is at low risk of re-offending.