A court was informed that three teenagers masqueraded as a 16-year-old girl to lure a man to the beach, where they assaulted him fatally with stones while hurling insults at him, referring to him as a "f***ing pa£dophile." The defendants, consisting of a 16-year-old girl and two males aged 15 and 16, are facing murder charges in Woolwich Crown Court for the killing of Alexander Cashford, aged 49, in Leysdown-on-Sea, Kent, on August 10, 2025.
During the hearings on January 14, it was revealed that Mr. Cashford connected with his alleged attackers at the Playtime Arcade situated along the seafront promenade, where he handed the girl his number on a business card. The older male saved the contact in his phone under the label "P£do". Approximately 75 messages were exchanged over the subsequent two days, with Mr. Cashford under the impression that he was communicating with a girl named Sienna.
One of the texts sent from the boy’s device to Mr. Cashford stated, "Hello, it’s the girl from the arcade, just so you know, I’m 16 if that matters to you." His response was, "What’s your name? I think you’re really pretty." Mr. Cashford, claiming to be 30, inquired whether she enjoyed champagne and expressed a desire to kiss her. "Sienna" proposed that they meet at her empty parents’ house and instructed him to bring alcohol. Mr. Cashford arrived at the beach around 7 p.m. on August 10 to meet the supposed 16-year-old girl.
Just over an hour later, he was found deceased.
Jurors were told by witnesses that they saw Mr. Cashford lying in the mud while being struck by rocks aimed at his head and body. Prosecutor Kate Blumgart KC informed the court that a post-mortem examination revealed injuries to his face and head, bruises on his limbs and body, along with several fractured ribs that penetrated his lung.
It was stated that the two boys trailed Mr. Cashford and the young girl as they strolled along the promenade in the village of Isle of Sheppey, with the older boy striking him on the back of the head with a bottle. The court also viewed footage showing the boys chasing Mr. Cashford.
In the video, the girl can be heard yelling, "fing pa£dophile, I’m fing 16, get him." The jury was informed that right before the older boy’s arrest, he sent footage of the assault to three individuals, captioning it, "f***** p£do up lol."
Ms. Blumgart emphasized the premeditation of the attack, asserting that the trio encountered Mr. Cashford by coincidence but thereafter intentionally met to launch the assault out of their anger towards his interaction with "Sienna." She described it as a collaborative attack where each participant contributed significantly.
She noted that the boys followed Mr. Cashford and the girl for a notable distance of 850 meters, during which the older boy armed himself with a bottle used in the attack. Witness testimonies indicated he was later seen throwing large stones at Mr. Cashford's apparently lifeless body and head, culminating in a brutal onslaught.
All three teenagers have pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, with the trial currently ongoing as of January 15.
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