A 16-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Alexander Cashford, a 49-year-old electrician from Kent, who was found dead on a beach last summer. The teenager, along with a 16-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, continues to stand trial for murder, a charge all three deny.
The Fatal Encounter on Sheppey Beach
The tragic sequence of events began on August 8, when Mr Cashford met the teenage girl at an amusement arcade on the Isle of Sheppey and gave her his phone number. The court heard that the trio, with the girl using the fake name 'Sienna', then exchanged messages with Mr Cashford and arranged to meet him by the sea wall in Leysdown-on-Sea on August 10.
When Mr Cashford arrived for the meeting, he walked with the girl along the seafront while the two boys followed. Prosecutors told Woolwich Crown Court that the 16-year-old boy picked up an empty glass bottle during this time.
Disturbing Footage and Alleged Attack
A critical piece of evidence is a video recording found on the 16-year-old boy's mobile phone. Jurors were told the footage, allegedly filmed by the girl, captures her shouting "f****** paedophile, I'm f****** 16" and "Get him". The boy is then seen shouting, holding the bottle, and using it to strike Mr Cashford on the back of the head before swinging it at his upper body.
As the two boys gave chase, Mr Cashford fell onto a stone floor. Witnesses described the 16-year-old boy then throwing large rocks at Mr Cashford's "already seemingly lifeless body and head". The electrician was later discovered lying face down in the mud with multiple injuries to his head and face.
Guilty Plea and Social Media Taunt
On Thursday, the 16-year-old boy entered a guilty plea to the secondary charge of manslaughter. The girl and the 15-year-old boy pleaded not guilty to the same charge. All three maintain their not guilty pleas to murder.
In a disturbing postscript to the attack, prosecutors stated that after his arrest, the 16-year-old boy shared the footage of the assault with three people. He allegedly attached the caption: "f***** pedo (sic) up lol".
The trial at Woolwich Crown Court continues.
