The seaside air of Leysdown-on-Sea held a sinister secret last August. A man, Alexander Cashford, would lose his life in a brutal attack fueled by deception and outrage, a tragedy unfolding under the gaze of a darkening sky.
It began with a digital lure. An older boy, posing as a 16-year-old girl named ‘Sienna,’ engaged Mr. Cashford in online conversations, carefully revealing his perceived interest in a minor. The messages, shown to the court, were a calculated trap, designed to provoke a reaction.
The bait worked. Mr. Cashford, believing he was communicating with a young woman, eagerly responded, expressing his attraction and suggesting a meeting. He claimed to be 30 years old and even proposed sharing champagne, unaware he was walking into a carefully constructed ambush.
The meeting point was a deserted seafront, the time around 7 pm. Little more than an hour later, Mr. Cashford lay dying. The scene that followed was captured on a mobile phone, a chilling record of escalating violence.
The video revealed a horrifying reality. As the group pursued Mr. Cashford, the girl filming the encounter screamed accusations – “f*ing paedophile, I’m f*ing 16, get him!” – her voice laced with fury and a chilling sense of purpose.
Witnesses described a relentless assault. Rocks, “around the size of a cereal bowl,” were hurled at Mr. Cashford with brutal force, one witness noting the first throw possessed “a lot of power.” A sickening thud echoed as a large rock “bounced” off his head.
The attack was sustained and vicious. The older boy armed himself with a bottle, later seen throwing rocks at Mr. Cashford’s head even as he appeared lifeless. The girl’s “unwavering enthusiasm” was audible in the video, a disturbing soundtrack to the unfolding tragedy.
A post-mortem examination revealed a devastating array of injuries: facial and head trauma, bruising across his body, and fractured ribs that punctured his lung. While Mr. Cashford had pre-existing heart conditions, the assault undeniably contributed to his death.
Prosecutors argued this was no chance encounter, but a deliberate and planned attack. The three teenagers, driven by outrage over the online exchange, had intentionally sought out Mr. Cashford to inflict harm, each playing a crucial role in the brutal sequence of events.
The chase itself stretched over 850 meters, a relentless pursuit culminating in a violent end. The video, intended as “evidence of their own successful hunt,” now stands as a stark testament to a tragedy born of deception and fueled by rage.
The three teenagers now await sentencing, their actions leaving an indelible mark on the quiet seaside town and raising profound questions about the dangers lurking within the digital world.
