Three teenagers locked up over beach killing of man they accused of being a paedophile

Three teenagers have been sentenced to prison for the premeditated murder of a man whom they brought to a Kent beach and killed because they believed he was a pedophile.

At the Old Bailey on Thursday, a 16-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and a 15-year-old boy to five years’ imprisonment for the manslaughter of Alexander Cashford, 49, on the Isle of Sheppey, Leysdown-on-Sea, on August 10 last year.

Prosecutors described how Mr Cashford was chased, attacked with rocks and a bottle and found lying face down in mud. The court heard the man met the 16-year-old girl on the seashore at around 7pm and she died an hour later. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said the incident started as “a bit of mischief” by teenagers on holiday but turned into “dangerous misconduct that put a man’s life at risk and eventually took his life”.

The sentences were delivered to a packed public gallery, with screams heard from the scaffolding.

Addressing the young defendants, the judge said none of you could “plausibly allege” that you had been manipulated or manipulated into bad behaviour, adding: “You all planned to entrap and harm this man over a number of days and as a group.”

“It was a horrific incident and a senseless loss of life.”

Jurors unanimously acquitted the teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, of murder following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court in February.

However, while they found the girl and the 15-year-old boy guilty of manslaughter, the 16-year-old boy also admitted to manslaughter at the hearing.

The autopsy showed Mr Cashford had injuries to his face and head, bruising to his limbs and body, and multiple broken ribs that punctured his lung.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: “I am satisfied that before your trial begins in January this year there will be no doubt in any of your minds that if you had not attacked this man he would not have died that day, in that place.”

In a statement read at the sentencing hearing, Mr Cashford’s parents, David and Linda, described him as a “kind, friendly and caring person” who cared about local animals and wildlife and loved all sports.

They said they were “emotionally crushed” and the impact on the family was “nearly impossible to put into words”.

They added that he was the rock in their lives and that “the slander against Alex’s name is particularly difficult, we know this couldn’t be further from the truth.”

A statement read from her sister Emma Gould said she was left an only child and her brother was taken away in a “cruel and violent” way.

She added: “How do I explain to my six-year-old son that he will never see his uncle again?”

During the trial, jurors were told Mr Cashford gave the girl his number after meeting her by chance at an entertainment venue on August 8 and also gave her a business card with a name on it that was not his.

The three teenagers messaged Mr Cashford using the pseudonym Sienna and arranged to meet him by the seawall.

During the hearing, it was learned that the 16-year-old boy saved Mr. Cashford’s number as “pedo” on his phone and around 75 messages were sent between them.

The man, who claimed to be 30 years old, asked the girl if she liked champagne and said he wanted to kiss her, then suggested they meet at the empty house of the “Sienna” family and told her to bring alcohol.

When Mr Cashford and the girl met, the two boys were seen following them as they walked along the promenade in the Isle of Sheppey village before the attack began, the hearing heard.

Mobile phone footage shows the older boy hitting Mr Cashford on the head with a bottle, then chasing after Mr Cashford, who fled with the male co-accused.

Meanwhile the girl shouted “fuck pedophile, I’m 16, get him” as she filmed the boys chasing Mr Cashford.

The court heard Cashford fell and the 16-year-old threw a rock at him that one witness described as “the size of a cereal bowl”.

The older boy then shared footage of the attack with three people with the caption: “f*ck it, hahaha”.

Giving evidence at the trial, he claimed he attacked Mr Cashford because he felt police “wouldn’t have done anything” if they had reported him for trying to meet the girl.

Danny Moore KC, representing the boy on Thursday, said he was truly remorseful for what he had done and called for the shortest possible sentence for the boy, who “could not have had a more difficult start in life”.

During the hearing, the girl and the young male defendant were heard saying there was never a plan to hit Mr Cashford.

Danny Robinson KC, defending the girl, told the hearing that texting Mr Cashford started as a “big laugh” and may have turned into “a desire to expose him as someone who should be named and shamed”.

But he said the attack “was not the product of an organized plan to kill or cause really serious harm to someone, but was a childish escapade that very quickly spiraled out of control and led to tragic consequences.”

At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Mr Robinson said he considered what the girl had done wrong and, in his expert opinion, expressed remorse for her actions.

Meanwhile, lawyer Benjamin Newton KC requested an intensive supervision order instead of an arrest warrant for the 15-year-old defendant, whom he said “played a minor role” in the incident.

Mr Newton said the youngest boy, who was 14 at the time, did not arm himself when he had the opportunity and was at low risk of re-offending.

Reacting to the sentences, Kent Police detective sergeant Alastair Worton said: “Alexander Cashford’s life was cut short following a violent attack by a group of teenagers who planned to meet him under false pretenses.

“The devastating outcome of the criminals’ brutal actions that day left a family grieving the loss of a loved one and young people’s lives changed forever.

“The sentence imposed on the criminals reflects the conspiratorial nature of their behavior and the tragic consequences of their crime.”