Teenagers Found Guilty in Fatal Attack on Man Believed to Be Paedophile
A 16-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy have been found guilty of manslaughter in the killing of Alexander Cashford, a 49-year-old man they believed was a paedophile. The pair were cleared of murder but convicted of the secondary charge at Woolwich Crown Court. The attack occurred on August 10 last year in Leysdown-on-Sea on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
Luring and Violent Assault on Beach
The court heard that the teenagers lured Cashford to the seafront after he had given his phone number to the girl two days earlier at an amusement arcade. Using the alias Sienna, they exchanged messages where Cashford, claiming to be 30, asked if she liked champagne and expressed a desire to kiss her. The group arranged to meet him around 7 p.m., with the girl accompanying him along the promenade before the attack began.
During the assault, the teenagers chased Cashford, hitting him with rocks and a bottle. He was found dead face down in mud, with a postmortem examination revealing injuries to his face and head, bruises on his limbs and body, and fractured ribs that had punctured his lung. The girl filmed the boys chasing the victim while shouting, "fucking paedophile, I'm fucking 16, get him."
Third Defendant and Evidence Presented
A 16-year-old boy, also involved in the fatal attack, previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter. All three defendants cannot be legally named due to their ages. After his arrest, the older boy shared footage of the attack with three people, captioning it "fucked pedo up lol." When asked if he thought he had "done the right thing" by attacking Cashford before discovering his death, the boy replied, "Yeah, kind of, yeah," adding, "Because I feel like the police wouldn't have done anything."
Defence Arguments and Prosecution Response
Danny Robinson KC, defending the girl, told the jury that texting Cashford started as a "big laugh" and may have turned into a desire to expose him. He argued the attack was not an organized plan to kill or cause serious harm but rather "a childish escapade that got out of hand very quickly with tragic consequences." The girl and the younger male defendant testified there was never a plan to attack Cashford.
Natalie Smith, a senior prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, stated, "This was a carefully pre-planned deliberate and violent attack on someone who was not expecting it and who could not defend himself. He was first hit from behind with a bottle and despite his best attempts to flee, he was relentlessly pursued and attacked, even when witnesses reported he was lying on the ground. Their joint actions on that fateful evening led to Alexander Cashford's death. His family now at least have the comfort of knowing that those responsible have been brought to justice."
Sentencing and Aftermath
The three teenagers are expected to be sentenced in April. The case highlights the tragic consequences of vigilantism and mob justice, stemming from unfounded beliefs and escalating violence. The incident has drawn attention to issues of youth crime and community safety in Kent, with authorities emphasizing the importance of legal processes over personal retribution.
