THREE teens have been found guilty of luring a man to the beach using a fake name then beating him to death with rocks while chanting “paedo”.
Shocking footage showed the two boys, 15 and 16, and 16-year-old girl attacking Alexander Cashman, 49, on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
The teens had met him by chance earlier that day and exchanged messages after he gave the girl his number.
Using the fake name Sienna, they arranged to meet him by the sea wall on August 10.
Video released by the Crown Prosecution Service showed Alexander being attacked with bottles after he was followed by the gang.
One of the boys can be heard in the background calling him a “f*****g paedo”, while the girl shouted out: “I’m f*****g sixteen”.
Alexander then ran down the path as two of the teens raced after him, with the girl yelling “get him”.
He then collapsed to the floor – bringing one of the teens with him before getting to his feet and running again.
Just 68 minutes after meeting the group, Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two of the teens have now been found guilty of manslaughter, while a third had previously admitted the charge.
All three were found not guilty of murdering Alexander.
Woolwich Crown Court heard the horror unfolded two days after Alexander gave the teenage girl his number.
The 16-year-old boy saved the number in his phone as “pedo” and the trio exchanged around 75 messages with him, posing as a girl called “Sienna”.
Alexander, who claimed to be 30, asked her if she liked champagne and said he wanted to kiss her.
Prosecutor Kate Blumgart KC said the two boys followed Alexander and the girl as they walked along the promenade before the 16-year-old boy hit him on the back of the head with a bottle.
The girl shouted “f****** paedophile, I’m f****** 16, get him” as she filmed the attack.
After he was arrested, the 16-year-old boy shared the footage with three people, with the caption: “F*****g pedo (sic) up lol”.
Ms Blumgart said: “These three defendants did happen by chance to meet Mr Cashford.
“What happened thereafter, however, was not by chance.
“They were so outraged by his interest in ‘Sienna’ that they deliberately planned to attack him.
“This was a joint attack with each of them playing a vital part.”
One witness saw the 16-year-old boy hurling rocks towards Alexander – describing the first throw as “like a lob”, “frantic” and with “a lot of power around it”.
Ms Blumgart said: “He was later seen by witnesses throwing large rocks at Mr Cashford’s already seemingly lifeless body and head.
“This at the tail end of a vicious onslaught.”
The girl showed “unwavering enthusiasm for the venture” that could be heard in her “shrieks” as she recorded the attack, the court was told.
The footage was “undoubtedly planned to be evidence of their own successful hunt”, Ms Blumgart added.
Officers scrambled to the beach found Alexander lying face up around 50m from the path on an uneven rubble surface.
A post-mortem showed he had injuries to his face and head, bruises on his limbs and body and a number of fractured ribs that had punctured his lung.
The teens will be sentenced at a later date.
Natalie Smith, Senior Crown Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “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.
“Immediately after the group met Mr. Cashford and got his mobile number, they sent him messages, trying to make the arrangements to meet him when it was dark.
“They lured him to meet the girl, but it wasn’t just her who was waiting to meet him. All three defendants were ready, in the full knowledge that their plan was to attack Mr Cashford. As he walked along, Mr Cashford had no idea that there was a plan to attack him.
“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.”
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