Three teenagers from London have been convicted of the manslaughter of a 49-year-old man who was lured to a secluded beach on the Isle of Sheppey and brutally attacked. Alexander Cashford, from Rainham, died from severe chest injuries following the assault in Leysdown-on-Sea in August 2025.
On Monday, February 16, 2026, a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were found guilty of manslaughter by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court following a trial. A second 16-year-old boy had already pleaded guilty to the same charge at an earlier hearing. While the trio had originally been charged with murder, they were acquitted of that charge and convicted of the lesser offence. Due to their ages, the defendants cannot be named for legal reasons.
The court heard how the teenagers orchestrated a sophisticated “catfishing” plot to entice Mr. Cashford to a remote area of scrubland near the beach at Warden Bay. After a chance meeting at an amusement arcade two days prior, the 16-year-old girl took Mr. Cashford’s business card. The teenagers then used a mobile phone to send 87 flirtatious messages over a 48-hour period, posing as a fictional person named “Sienna.” The prosecution argued that this was a pre-planned rendezvous designed to trap the victim under the false pretence of a romantic meeting.
On the evening of August 10, 2025, CCTV captured the teenage girl walking with Mr. Cashford along the promenade while the two boys followed at a distance. Once the group reached a quiet area away from the holiday resort, the teenagers launched a violent assault. Mr. Cashford was struck with a glass bottle, pelted with rocks, and kicked repeatedly while on the ground. The 16-year-old girl filmed the attack on her phone, and the footage was later shared with her contacts.
Emergency services were called to the scene just after 7:00 PM by witnesses who heard a commotion. Despite the efforts of paramedics and a member of the public who provided initial first aid, Mr. Cashford was pronounced dead at the scene. A pathologist later determined his death was caused by internal bleeding and a collapsed lung resulting from the severity of the chest trauma.
The three offenders were arrested by Kent Police outside a local fish and chip shop within 30 minutes of the fatal assault. During the trial, the older boy claimed he believed the attack was justified because he suspected the victim of being a paedophile, an allegation the prosecution described as part of a “sinister” and “macabre” sequence of events. Senior prosecutors noted that the victim was relentlessly pursued even as he lay helpless on the ground. The teenagers have been remanded in custody and are expected to be sentenced in April 2026.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber said:
‘Alexander Cashford was a quiet man, without a wide circle of friends, who enjoyed spending time in Leysdown in the summer. It would have seemed unimaginable that a chance conversation with someone he met in an amusement arcade would lead to his brutal death.
‘The teenage offenders in this case conspired to deliberately lure Alex to meet them under false pretences. They delivered a vicious and deadly attack before casually returning to a popular Kent tourist spot to continue their Sunday evening.
‘The jury’s finding today reflects the conspiratorial nature and tragic consequences of their cold and callous actions that night. I would like to thank the witnesses whose evidence helped secure these convictions, and while the offenders await sentencing, I hope this verdict can offer some comfort to Alex’ family, so that they can now begin the process of moving forward with their lives.’