Three teens sentenced for manslaughter of man on Kent beach in Leysdown-on-Sea
Three teenagers have been sentenced for the manslaughter of Alexander Cashford, 49, on a Kent beach in August 2025. The attack followed a prearranged meeting set up under false pretences.
Three teenagers sentenced for killing man they believed was a paedophile on Kent beach
Three teenagers have been sentenced for the manslaughter of 49-year-old Alexander Cashford on a beach at Leysdown-on-Sea, Kent, The Sun reports. A girl aged 16 and a boy aged 16 were each handed seven years in custody, while a younger boy, now 15 but aged 14 at the time of the attack, received five years. All three will serve half their sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.
The two older defendants were found guilty of manslaughter following a trial, while the third boy had previously pleaded guilty to the same offence. The teens, who cannot be named because of their age, had originally been charged with murder.
Cashford, an electrician, died in August 2025 after being chased across the beach and struck with rocks and a bottle. Prosecutors told the court he suffered more than 30 external injuries. Despite attempting to flee, he was pursued and beaten even after witnesses saw him lying on the ground.
Lured using a fake identity
The attack followed a chance encounter two days earlier, when Cashford gave the girl his phone number at an arcade. Using the alias Sienna, the three teenagers — who were on holiday in the area at the time — exchanged around 75 messages with him before arranging to meet. Natalie Smith, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), described it as "a carefully pre-planned deliberate and violent attack on someone... who could not defend himself."
"Despite his best attempts to flee, he was relentlessly pursued and attacked, even when witnesses reported he was lying on the ground," Smith said.
The girl filmed the two boys launching the attack. Jurors heard she showed "unwavering enthusiasm" while shouting "paedophile" at Cashford during the assault. Character references submitted on her behalf, however, described her as "polite, caring, compassionate." Her defence told the court she was autistic and was unaware that a weapon had been brought to the meeting.
Sentencing at the Old Bailey
Justice Cheema-Grubb, presiding at the Old Bailey, described the killing as "an appalling incident and senseless loss of life." In her sentencing remarks, 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."
Cashford's parents told the court they were "crushed" by what had happened to their "kind, friendly and compassionate" son, calling his death "cruel, unnecessary and pointless."
Defence arguments
Defending the girl, Danny Robinson KC said the exchange of messages had begun as "a laugh" and may at most have been intended to publicly shame Cashford. "It was a childish escapade that got out of hand," he told the court.
The 16-year-old boy had told jurors during the trial that the group had discussed giving Cashford "a slap," and said he believed police "wouldn't have done anything" had they reported Cashford instead. He maintained 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 had no prior history of violence. "This event is one that the court is entitled to treat as completely out of character," Moore said.
The youngest boy's barrister, Benjamin Newton KC, said his client had played "a minor role," had not armed himself, and was neither present nor involved when projectiles were thrown.
All three defendants were described by their lawyers as remorseful.
Prior convictions
The court heard that Cashford had previous convictions for stalking and several driving offences. The stalking conviction related to a 2025 incident in which he followed a young woman home from work to her address in Gillingham.
Swift arrests after witnesses intervened
Key evidence in the case came from the defendants themselves, the CPS said, as well as from bystanders. Some witnesses went to Cashford's aid; others tracked the group's movements and reported their location to police, leading to swift arrests by Kent Police. Witnesses also gave evidence that the defendants appeared to be "gloating" in the aftermath of 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."
Source: The Sun