Three teenagers who lured a man they believed to be a paedophile to a beach, then chased and killed him, were sentenced to a total of 19 years in custody.

A 16-year-old girl and two boys, aged 15 and 16, were convicted of manslaughter over the killing of Alexander Cashford in Leysdown-on-Sea, on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, in August 2025.

At the Old Bailey the two 16-year-old defendants were jailed for seven years and the 15-year-old boy was jailed for five years over the killing.

The trial at Woolwich Crown Court heard the teenagers thought Mr Cashford, 49, was a paedophile and lured him to the beach before hitting him with rocks and a bottle. He was found lying face down in the mud.

Jurors were told the victim had given the girl his number after meeting her at an amusement arcade and had handed her a business card, which included a name that was not his.

The three teenagers exchanged messages with Mr Cashford, who claimed to be 30. He asked the girl, who used the alias Sienna, if she liked champagne and added that he wanted to kiss her, the court heard.

After arranging to meet by the sea wall, the older boy said he attacked the victim because he felt police "wouldn't have done anything" if they reported him for trying to meet up with the girl.

The older boy accepted he wanted to use a bottle he was carrying to hurt the victim, but said he did not believe it would cause serious injury.

The girl and the younger male defendant said there was never a plan to hit Mr Cashford.

Sentencing the trio, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said she accepted it started out as a "bit of mischief", but turned into "dangerous misconduct which risked and ultimately took a man's life".

The teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were acquitted of murder following a trial.

This video has been edited to remove extreme language.

The judge's sentencing remarks can be read in full at: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/r-v-s-t-and-o/

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