Three teenagers have been sentenced to prison for the manslaughter of Alexander Cashford, a 49-year-old electrician they falsely accused of being a paedophile. The attack occurred on a beach in Leysdown-on-Sea, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, on 10 August last year.
The Attack
The victim, Mr Cashford, had met one of the defendants, a 16-year-old girl, at an amusement arcade two days earlier and given her his business card. She then passed his number to a 16-year-old boy, and the group began messaging Mr Cashford while pretending to be a girl named "Sienna". They saved his contact as "pedo" in their phones.
The trio lured Mr Cashford to the beach, where they assaulted him with rocks and glass bottles. The attack was filmed by the girl and later posted on social media. In the footage, a terrified Mr Cashford is seen being chased and struck on the back of the head by the older boy. The girl can be heard shouting "f---ing paedophile" and encouraging the boys to continue the assault.
Court Proceedings
At Woolwich Crown Court, the three defendants were found guilty of manslaughter. During the sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Cheema-Grubb described the killing as an "appalling incident and senseless loss of life". She remarked: "You decided to attack a man that none of you knew and two of you had never met. All he did was give a business card. He did not touch you. You could have thrown it away."
The 16-year-old boy received a seven-year sentence, reduced due to his guilty plea. The 16-year-old girl was also jailed for seven years and was heard crying loudly as she was led away. The 15-year-old boy was sentenced to five years in detention.
Family Statement
Mr Cashford's family released a statement read to the court, saying: "We are all devastated. Alex was taken in a cruel and violent way." They described his killing as "cruel, unnecessary and pointless," adding that they are "crushed" by what happened.
