A MURDER suspect repeatedly denied going to his ex- girlfriend’s house on the morning she was killed because it would “make him look like he did it”, a court heard.

Michael Lane insisted in six separate police interviews that he had not seen Shana Grice on August 25 last year.

It was only in the seventh and final round of questioning, eight days after she died, that the 27-year-old mechanic changed his story.

He told Detective Constable Scott Elmer and Detective Constable Lee Taylor he found the 19-year-old’s body at her home in Chrisdory Road, Portslade, around half an hour to an hour after she is thought to have been killed.

Lewes Crown Court heard that after a short break to speak to his solicitor, he went back into the interview room and said: “You ain’t going to believe me but it’s up to you. In the morning I did go to Shana’s.”

Lane started to cry as he told of finding the front door and her bedroom door open.

He told the detectives he panicked when he saw her “pale” body “slumped” by the side of the bed, the court heard.

Lane spoke of blood around her mouth and a pool of blood on the floor.

He said he stayed there a matter of seconds and did not tell anyone what he saw or call for help.

In footage of the interview in the early evening of September 2, which was played at the court yesterday, DC Elmer said: “This is the first time that we’re hearing that you did go into Chrisdory Road.

“Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

Lane replied: “I know how it looks. I’m just petrified.”

When asked by DC Elmer how he thinks it looks, he said: “Well it looks like I did it.”

He denied killing her, moving her body or setting the room alight. He was charged with murder later that night.

The conversation followed hours of questioning from detectives where Lane was accused of lying and changing his story to fit what he was told.

Earlier that day in the previous interview he was presented with CCTV footage which contradicted his account of his movements on the morning of her death.

DC Elmer said he was “exhausted” from asking Lane to “tell the truth” and said his story had changed “time and time again”, the court heard.

At one point he said: “It’s like groundhog day. The same thing is happening. I have given you an opportunity to tell the truth. It’s only when the fact is in your face that you change.”

DC Taylor said Lane “lied and lied and lied and lied and lied over again”, adding: “You change your story to fit what we tell you.”

Being in custody was making Lane stressed and the questions were “confusing”, the court heard.

When asked how wipes with Miss Grice’s blood and his DNA came to be found near her body, Lane claimed he had used one to wipe his face when the pair had sex at the house two days earlier.

DC Taylor said this was “extremely unusual, quite implausible” which made it hard to believe Lane’s account, the court heard.

Lane, of Thornhill Rise, Portslade, denies murder.

The trial continues.

‘YOU’VE JUST WALKED INTO HER HOUSE AND THE GIRL YOU LOVE SO MUCH IS DEAD ON THE FLOOR WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?’

Detective Constables Scott Elmer and Lee Taylor questioned Michael Lane seven times in the week after Shana Grice’s murder.

Here are some extracts from the penultimate and final interviews, footage of which was played to the jury yesterday:

September 2, 2016, between 12.46pm and 14.05pm

[DC Elmer tells Lane about a message sent to Miss Grice at 7.42am which was never read.

They say this suggests she may have already been dead at this point and possibly killed between 7.25am and 8am.] DC Elmer: “And you’ve obviously told us that you left your house about 8am.

“But the CCTV that we’ve established doesn’t match in with what you have told us.

“Why is there such a difference between what you told us and what can be seen on the CCTV?”

Lane: “Well I said the times were rough times anyway.”

[A CCTV image is shown which shows Lane walking along south along Mile Oak Road between the junction of Chrisdory Road and Sefton Road at 7.29am.] DC Elmer: “We are not talking about five or ten minutes either way here.

“You were already all the way from your house over here [pointing to a map] half an hour before you thought you left.”

*****

[Lane tells detectives he was walking to try to clear his head]

DC Elmer: “Your walking takes you all around Chrisdory Road.”

Lane: “I know it does. I know that.”

DC Taylor: “Come on Michael, tell the truth.”

Lane: “Whatever I say you’re not going to believe me.”

September 2, 2016, between 4.52pm and 6.08pm

[Lane tells detectives for the first time he went to Miss Grice’s house on the morning of her death.

He tells them he went to check on her because her car was still there when she was meant to be at work.] DC Elmer: “If you’re not together any more and you’ve agreed not to speak, is it any of your business why she’s not at work?”

Lane said: “No.”

*****

[DC Elmer asks why Lane did not say before that he was at the house]

Lane: “I know how it looks. I’m just petrified.”

DC Elmer: “So how do you think it looks?”

Lane: “It looks like, well it looks like I did it.”

*****

[When asked what he was thinking when he realised she was dead]

DC Elmer: “Right but, the girl you love more than anything, the girl that you love so much that you were thinking about killing yourself the day before, the girl who you’ve got out of bed that day and driven ... to go and see.

“And agonised about whether to go and talk to her and tell her how you felt ... you’ve just walked into her house and she’s dead on the floor.

“What were you thinking?”

Lane: “Don’t know.

“Panicking, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

DC Elmer: “But you love her more than anything?”

Lane: “Yeah.”

DC Elmer: “So did you try and help her?”

Lane: “No.”

DC Elmer: “Did you call an ambulance?”

Lane: “No.”

DC Elmer: “Why not?”

Lane: “Because I didn’t want to be there and then the police turn up and say that I did it, because I was there, because of all the history and that.”

[Lane tells detectives he went home and had his second shower of the day and then went to check a lottery ticket. Afterwards he went to a dentist appointment] DC Elmer: “I’m just amazed that you, bearing in mind the love of your life has been murdered and you’ve just left her dead on the floor and not told anyone, that you’re checking lottery tickets.

*****

DC Elmer: “So when you got home, what did you do? What were you thinking?

Lane: “How it would look ... that I don’t want to be blamed for it.”

DC Elmer: “So how it would look and you didn’t want to get blamed? You haven’t mentioned anything about poor Shana.”

LANE TELLS COURT WHY HE WAS CARRYING A T-SHIRT

MICHAEL Lane told detectives he left the house with nothing but his phone keys and cash on the morning of Shana Grice’s killing, the court heard.

Police believe she was murdered some time between 7.25am and 8am on August 25.

During interview, Lane was presented with a CCTV image which showed him walking south in Mile Oak Road at 7.29am carrying something that looked like a blue plastic bag.

He was asked what it was and after a long pause said: “Possibly a T-shirt.”

To which Detective Constable Scott Elmer replied: “Come on Michael you must know what it is.”

He agreed it was a blue T-shirt and when asked why he was holding it, he said because he was already wearing a T-shirt and this was a “nice Ralph Lauren T-shirt”.

DC Elmer asked: “I don’t follow you really.

“So, OK, so it’s a nice blue Ralph Lauren T-shirt but why are you carrying it around?”

Lane said: “Just so I can put it on if I need to.”

DC Elmer said: “What possible circumstance could arise that you would need to change your T-shirt whilst you’re out?”

When Lane said he did not know DC Elmer said: “I think that’s really strange.

“Why didn’t you just put that on in the morning when you got dressed?

“I don’t want to go on about it but do you not think that’s a bit strange? Do you understand why I’m lingering on this point?”

Lane replied: “Yeah, but a lot of people think different things are strange to different people, don’t they?”

He added that he had “done it before”.

Detective Constable Lee Taylor later asked him if it was white spirit he was in fact carrying in his hand.

Lane said it was the T-shirt.