A Pembrokeshire man accused of murdering a teenager last December, changed his plea to guilty when he appeared via video link at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (June 13).
Thirty-one-year-old Lewis Haines, 31, of Flemish Court, Lamphey, was arrested for the murder of eighteen-year-old Lily Sullivan after police discovered her body at the Mill Pond, Pembroke, in the early hours of Friday, December 17, 2021.
At previous hearings, Haines had plead not guilty to murder but had entered a guilty plea to manslaughter.
The manslaughter charge was not accepted by the prosecution and the defendant was due to stand trial on June 20.
On Monday, appearing via video link wearing a red t-shirt with a shaved head and beard, Haines spoke to confirm his name, and after admitting to murdering Lily, he could be seen rubbing his head in his hands.
More than a dozen of Lily’s family members were sat in the public gallery of the court room.
Haines will now be sentenced for Lily’s murder on July 7.
Paying tribute, her family said of Lily at the time: “Lily was a kind and caring daughter who will be deeply missed by everyone. The family are very thankful to all of Lily’s friends for their support.”