Three teens sentenced for killing man lured to Kent beach via dating app

Three teenagers have been sentenced for manslaughter after luring 49-year-old Alexander Cashford to a Kent beach and beating him to death in August 2025.

Three teenagers sentenced over fatal attack on man lured to Kent beach

Three teenagers have been given custodial sentences for the manslaughter of Alexander Cashford, 49, who was lured to a beach in Leysdown-on-Sea, Kent, and beaten to death in August 2025. bbc.com reports that the sentencing took place at the Old Bailey.

A 16-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were each sentenced to seven years in custody after being found guilty of manslaughter at trial. A third defendant, a 15-year-old boy, had previously pleaded guilty to the same offence and received five years. All three will serve half of their sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.

The court heard that the group, who were on holiday at the time, first encountered Cashford two days before the attack when he gave the girl his phone number during a chance meeting at a local arcade. Using the alias Sienna, the three teenagers then exchanged approximately 75 messages with Cashford and arranged to meet him at the beach.

Prosecutors said Cashford was chased, hit with rocks and a bottle, and was found lying face down in the mud. He suffered more than 30 external injuries. Natalie Smith of the Crown Prosecution Service described the attack as "a carefully pre-planned deliberate and violent attack on someone… who could not defend himself." She added that despite his attempts to flee, Cashford "was relentlessly pursued and attacked, even when witnesses reported he was lying on the ground."

Sentencing the teenagers, Justice Cheema-Grubb called the killing "an appalling incident and senseless loss of life." She told the defendants: "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."

In remarks to the court, Cashford's parents described their son — an electrician — as "kind, friendly and compassionate" and said they had been "crushed" by his death. They called the killing "cruel, unnecessary and pointless."

The teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had originally been charged with murder but were convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter. The CPS said key evidence came from the defendants themselves, including footage recorded by the girl showing the two boys launching the attack. Jurors heard she showed "unwavering enthusiasm" during the assault, shouting "paedophile" at Cashford, though character references submitted to the court described her as "polite, caring, compassionate." Her defence noted she is autistic and was unaware that a weapon had been brought to the meeting.

The 16-year-old boy told the jury during the trial that the group had discussed giving Cashford a "slap" and said he believed he had "done the right thing." His defence lawyer, Danny Moore KC, told the court the boy — who has ADHD and is autistic — "could not have had a harder start in life" and that the attack was "completely out of character." The younger boy, who was 14 at the time, "played a minor role" and was not present or involved when missiles were thrown, according to his barrister Benjamin Newton KC.

Defending the girl, Danny Robinson KC told the court the exchange of messages had begun as a "laugh" and described the episode as "a childish escapade that got out of hand."

The court was told that Cashford had previous convictions for stalking and driving offences. The stalking conviction related to a 2025 incident in which he followed a young woman home from her workplace to her house in Gillingham.

Witnesses at the scene went to Cashford's aid, while others tracked the group's movements and reported their location to police, leading to swift arrests by Kent Police. The CPS said witnesses also gave evidence that the defendants appeared to be "gloating" after the attack.

Detective Sergeant Alastair Worton said: "Alexander Cashford's life was cut short following a vicious attack carried out by a group of teenagers who plotted to meet him under false pretences. The devastating outcome of the offenders' brutal actions that day has left a family grieving the loss of a loved one and young lives changed forever."

All three defence lawyers told the court their clients were remorseful for their actions.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)