On August 10, 2025, 49-year-old Alexander Cashford from Kent was lured to Leysdown-on-Sea beach on the Isle of Sheppey by three London teens who suspected him of being a pedophile after he gave his number to a 16-year-old girl at an arcade. The group— a 16-year-old girl, a 15-year-old boy (convicted after denying charges), and a 16-year-old boy (who pleaded guilty earlier)—chased and attacked him with rocks and a bottle, leaving him face-down in the mud with severe injuries; he died about an hour later from likely chest trauma, including fractured ribs puncturing a lung.
Court Proceedings
At Woolwich Crown Court, the teens were acquitted of murder on February 16, 2026, but convicted of manslaughter. The girl filmed the assault, shouting encouragement like “get him,” while the boys carried it out; one saved Cashford’s contact as “Pedo,” and footage was posted online. The guilty-pleading boy testified they planned to “slap” him, believing police wouldn’t act on his alleged interest in a minor posing as “Sienna.”
Sentencing Ahead
Sentencing is set for April 2026 before Judge Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb, who noted the verdicts’ lifelong impact. Prosecutor Natalie Smith called it a “meticulously planned, intentional, and violent assault” on a defenseless man pursued even after falling. No confirmed evidence proved Cashford was a pedophile.
