Three teens sentenced for Cashford manslaughter

Three teenagers have been sentenced to custodial terms at the Old Bailey for the manslaughter of 49-year-old electrician Alexander Cashford, whom they lured to a beach in Leysdown-on-Sea, Kent, and attacked with rocks and bottles on August 10 last year.

The 16-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy each received seven-year sentences, while a 15-year-old boy was given five years. The trio, who cannot be named due to their ages, will serve half their sentences in custody and the remainder on licence. They were unanimously acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court in February. The older boy had pleaded guilty to manslaughter early in the proceedings.

Prosecutors told the court that Cashford first met the girl at a local amusement arcade two days earlier, where he gave her his business card and phone number. The teenagers then exchanged around 75 messages with him while posing as a girl named Sienna. Cashford, who falsely claimed to be 30, complimented her appearance, asked if she liked champagne and expressed a desire to kiss her. They arranged to meet him near the seafront around 7 p.m. on August 10.