Boy admits stoning man to death on Kent beach ‘because he was a paedophile’

A 16-year-old boy accused of stoning a man to death after luring him to a beach by posing as a teenage girl has admitted manslaughter.

Three teenagers are on trial at Woolwich Crown Court charged with murdering Alexander Cashford, 49, in Leysdown-on-Sea, Kent, on August 10 last year.

Jurors have been told the victim met a 16-year-old girl at an arcade in the seaside resort two days earlier and gave her his number, which the boy saved in his phone as ‘Pedo’.

The three defendants – the 16-year-old boy and girl and another boy aged 15 – swapped around 75 messages with Mr Cashford, who thought he was speaking to a girl named ‘Sienna’, the court has heard.

Prosecutor Kate Blumgart KC told jurors yesterday the teenagers used the messages to lure Mr Cashford down to the seafront as part of a ‘deliberate plan to attack him’.

They have seen mobile phone footage appearing to how the 16-year-old boy chasing Mr Cashford and hitting him on the back of the head.

Witnesses have also described seeing him throwing large rocks at his head and body while lying motionless on the ground.

Ms Blumgart said: ‘These three defendants did happen by chance to meet Mr Cashford. What happened thereafter however was not by chance.

‘They were so outraged by his interest in “Sienna” that they deliberately planned to meet him and to attack him.

‘This was a joint attack with each of them playing a vital part.’

Before the first witness gave evidence in the case this morning, the 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to a new secondary charge of manslaughter.

Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb invited the jury to formally return the same verdict, before reminding them he still denies murder.

The other two teenagers entered not guilty pleas to manslaughter.

The senior judge told jurors: ‘The prosecution say the evidence shows the three co-defendants are guilty of murder, not manslaughter.

‘The prosecution case is that all three defendants were acting together, with each of them sharing an intent to cause at least really serious bodily injury to Mr Cashford if the circumstances arose.’

A detective is now taking the jury through a compilation of CCTV and mobile phone footage.

Jurors have been told police found a video recording on the 16-year-old boy’s phone, which prosecutors say was filmed by the girl, in which she shouts ‘f****** paedophile, I’m f****** 16’ and ‘Get him’.

The 16-year-old boy is filmed shouting and holding the glass bottle, before using it to hit Mr Cashford on the back of the head and swinging it at his upper body, the court heard.

As the boys chased Mr Cashford, he fell onto the stone floor, jurors were told.

The 15-year-old boy then tripped over the 49-year-old.

The girl can be heard shouting ‘Get him, f****** nonce’, before the recording stops, the court was told.

The trial continues.

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