Murdered Louise Smith, 16, ‘not supported fully’ by police after reporting rape

Murdered teenager Louise Smith did not receive appropriate support after she reported being raped a year before her death, a review of her care has found.

The 16-year-old, who was training to be a veterinary nurse, was killed in Havant Thicket on VE Day in 2020.

Shane Mays, 30, from Havant, was jailed for life in December 2020 and must serve a minimum of 25 years after being found guilty of murder.

The trial at Winchester Crown Court heard Louise was “vulnerable” and suffered from anxiety and depression.

She had moved in with Mays and his wife, Chazlynn Jayne (CJ), after quarrelling with her mother Rebecca Cooper.

A review by the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership has now said Louise reported being raped by “one of her peers” a year before her death.

It found she was not given enough support when Hampshire Police told her no further action would be taken over the allegation.

The “impact of Covid” might have led to Louise not having a supporting professional there when she was informed, the review said.

The report, compiled by independent Jon Chapman, said the force should “review its process when providing victims of rape and serious sexual assault with an investigative outcome”.

It should also “put in place a mechanism to ensure that, wherever possible, this is done so in conjunction with a supporting person or professional present”.

Mays’ murder trial was told Louise had a social worker, while the review said that, at the time of her death, a Children and Families Assessment was being done because she “had moved from one extended family member’s home to another and was considered at risk of homelessness”.

The review said the agencies involved in Louise’s care failed to make sure there was continuing support as she moved from school to college.

It said she “had gone from a child who would readily engage with professionals to disengaging at college and no longer accessing the support offered”.

It added: “With the Child in Need plan drawing to an end, there is limited information to suggest that there was a continued strong collaborative multi-agency approach and her prior network of support had dissipated.”

The report said the involved agencies should ensure a “co-ordinated response” to provide ongoing care and support.

In February 2021, the Court of Appeal rejected a bid to increase Mays’ prison sentence after the Solicitor General claimed it was “unduly lenient”.

Lord Justice Davis, sitting with two other judges, concluded the sentence should not be altered.

In a statement, Chief Superintendent of Hampshire Police, Raj Kohli said: “This was a very sad case relating to the terrible death of a teenage girl and is simply heart-breaking.

“We have engaged with the review process, and we acknowledge the single recommendation for Hampshire Constabulary. Although the recommendation is not related to the death itself, as a Constabulary we seek to learn at all times.

“Protecting members of our community who are most at risk of coming to harm is an absolute priority for us. Part of this involves efficient and co-ordinated information sharing between police and partners across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“We are committed to working with our partners to ensure the ongoing development and improvement of our information sharing methods.

“The report recommended that we review our process when providing victims of rape and serious sexual assault with an investigative outcome, and put in place a mechanism to ensure that wherever possible this is done so in conjunction with a supporting person or professional present.

“It is already common practice as a police service to do this. Since January 2021 we have been building on our relationships with partner agencies supplying an ISVA service (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor). We meet with them on a regular basis to discuss serious sexual offence cases and co-ordinate how they can provide specialist support when police deliver investigative outcomes to victims of crime.

“We welcome the findings of the review and recognise that we can still make improvements in this area. Indeed the learning from this will form part of our renewed focus into Violence Against Women & Girls.

“We are also adapting the national Project Bluestone documentation – a programme that sees police professionals work alongside prominent academics to transform the police response to rape and sexual offences - to accompany investigative decisions of no further action. We are working to implement this before the end of the year.”