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Teens who lured man to beach to kill him sentenced to between five and seven years' custody
TL;DR
Three teenagers were sentenced for the manslaughter of Alexander Cashford, whom they believed to be a paedophile, on a Kent beach. The 16-year-old girl and boy received seven years, while a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to five years in custody.
Key points
- Three teenagers sentenced for manslaughter in Kent
- Victim Alexander Cashford was 49 years old
- Teenagers believed Cashford was a paedophile
- Sentences ranged from five to seven years
- Judge called it an appalling incident
Mentioned in this story
Alexander CashfordKent
Three teenagers have been sentenced for killing a man they thought was a paedophile on a Kent beach.
A girl, 16, and boy, 15, were found guilty of Alexander Cashford's manslaughter in Leysdown-on-Sea, Kent, in August 2025. Another boy, 16, previously pleaded guilty to the same offence.
The girl and the 16-year-old boy were each given seven years in custody, while the younger boy was given five years.
A trial heard that they lured 49-year-old Cashford to the beach after he gave the girl his phone number in a chance encounter at an arcade two days before.
The judge, Justice Cheema-Grubb, said the killing was an "appalling incident and senseless loss of life".
"You decided to attack a man that none of you knew and two of you had never met," she said in her sentencing remarks at the Old Bailey.
"All he did was give a business card. He did not touch you. You could have thrown it away."
The teenagers will all serve one half of their sentence and the remainder on licence.
Prosecutors said Cashford was chased and hit with rocks and a bottle before he was found lying face down in the mud.
"This was a carefully pre-planned deliberate and violent attack on someone... who could not defend himself," Natalie Smith, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said.
"Despite his best attempts to flee, he was relentlessly pursued and attacked, even when witnesses reported he was lying on the ground."
Cashford, an electrician, had more than 30 external injuries on his body, the jury heard.
During the sentencing at the Old Bailey, his parents said they were "crushed" by what had happened to their "kind, friendly and compassionate" son.
They called his killing "cruel, unnecessary and pointless".
Using the alias Sienna, the three teens - who were on holiday at the time - exchanged some 75 messages with Cashford and arranged to meet him.
Defending the girl, Danny Robinson KC told the court that the texts began as a "laugh" but could have become an attempt to name and shame Cashford.
"It was a childish escapade that got out of hand," he said.
The 16-year-old boy earlier told the jury that they had discussed giving Cashford a "slap".
He claimed police "wouldn't have done anything" if they had reported him for trying to meet the girl.
The boy said during the trial that he believed he had done the right thing.
Q&A
What were the sentences for the teenagers involved in the manslaughter of Alexander Cashford?
The 16-year-old girl and boy were each sentenced to seven years, while the 15-year-old boy received five years in custody.
Why did the teenagers kill Alexander Cashford on the beach?
The teenagers believed Alexander Cashford was a paedophile, which motivated them to lure him to the beach before the attack.
What was the age of Alexander Cashford at the time of his death?
Alexander Cashford was 49 years old when he was killed by the teenagers.
What did the judge say about the incident involving the teenagers and Cashford?
Justice Cheema-Grubb described the killing as an 'appalling incident and senseless loss of life.'
