Isle of Sheppey, Kent: Alexander Cashford killed after being lured to beach and attacked by three teens
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
A man was taken to a beach in Kent after texting a teenage girl, then chased and beaten to death by three teenagers who accused him of being a pedophile, a court heard.
Alexander Cashford, 49, died on the Isle of Sheppey just 68 minutes after first encountering the group, in what prosecutors described as a planned and coordinated attack.
Two boys, aged 15 and 16, and a 16-year-old girl had met Mr Cashford by chance earlier that day. After giving the girl his number, they began texting, posing as someone named “Sienna”, to arrange a meeting later that evening.
Prosecutors said what happened next was not spontaneous. Sun reported.
“These three defendants met Mr Cashford by chance,” said prosecutor Kate Blumgart KC.
“But what happened next was not a coincidence.
“They were so enraged by his attention to ‘Sienna’ that they deliberately planned to attack her.
“This was a joint attack in which each played a vital role.”
Footage later released by the Crown Prosecution Service shows the attack taking place along the beach. Mr Cashford was followed before one of the boys hit him from behind with a bottle.
As he tried to escape, the group followed him along the walking path.
One of the boys was heard shouting “damn paedo” while the girl shouted “I’m sixteen”.
“Get him,” the girl shouted as Mr. Cashford ran.
Witnesses told the court the violence continued even after he fainted. One of them described a boy throwing a rock at Mr Cashford’s body with force, including when he appeared motionless.
Ms Blumgart said: “He was later seen by witnesses throwing large stones at Mr Cashford’s already lifeless body and head.
“This is the culmination of a violent attack.”
The court heard the group exchanged around 75 messages with Mr Cashford ahead of the meeting. His number was saved on a teenager’s phone under the name “pedo”.
In footage filmed of parts of the attack, the girl was said to show “unwavering enthusiasm for the attempt”.
Prosecutors said the video was “undoubtedly intended as evidence of their own successful hunt.”
Emergency services were called to the scene and Mr Cashford was found lying on a rugged beach about 50 meters from the road.
An autopsy revealed the man suffered extensive injuries, including head and facial trauma, broken ribs and a punctured lung.
Three young people, whose names cannot be given for legal reasons, were sentenced to a total of 19 years in prison. Two of them were convicted of manslaughter, while the third had previously pleaded guilty to the charge. All three were found not guilty of murder.
In handing down the sentence, the judge said none of the defendants could “plausibly claim” that they were manipulated into their actions.
The judge said, “You all planned to trap and harm this man as a group within a few days.”
“It was a horrific incident and a senseless loss of life.”
In a victim impact statement, Mr Cashford’s parents said they “will never be able to get over or understand the trauma that will haunt us for the rest of our lives”.
“We are all devastated,” they said.
“Alex was cruelly and violently kidnapped.”
