Tormentor who would make Shelley more smart, when read out? (10)
I believe the answer is:
persecutor
'tormentor' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'would make shelley more smart when read out?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'make' could be 'cut' (cutting is a kind of making) and 'cut' is found in the answer.
'when' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'who' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for persecutor that I've seen before include "Saul, for one" , "Persistent harasser" , "tormentor" .)