Teenagers lured man, 49, to beach and beat him to death with rocks as they shouted ‘paedophile’, court hears

Woolwich Crown Court heard the girl had adopted the fake name “Sienna” and exchanged messages with Mr Cashford after the 49-year-old had given his number to her.

The teenagers then arranged to meet him on August 10, jurors were told.

However, just over an hour after the alleged meeting, Mr Cashford was pronounced dead.

A witness saw the 16-year-old boy throwing rocks “with a lot of power” at the 49-year-old, prosecutor Kate Blumgart KC said.

She added that the first throw had been “like a lob”, with the boy’s movements described as “frantic”.

The prosecutor said that Mr Cashford “did not react at all” and “was lying face-down in the mud”.

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The court heard that the 16-year-old boy and the girl shouted “he’s a f****** paedophile” when being urged by the witness to stop the attack.

Ms Blumgart said witness Lynhi Nguyen “recalled that as she walked onto the path that runs along the beach she too saw a body on the floor and a boy throwing rocks at the body”.

She continued: “Again, that was the 16-year-old boy. She describes him using his right arm in an overarm motion to throw them and the person on the floor was not moving.

“The first rock was directed towards the head, the second rock hitting somewhere on the body.

“She was concerned because Mr Cashford did nothing to defend himself.

“She described Mr Cashford as face down, bald with a lump on the back of his head. She called the police.”

One witness described the rocks thrown as being “around the size of a cereal bowl”.

The court heard that the lump on the back of Mr Cashford’s head was akin to a “ping pong ball”.

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When officers from Kent Police arrived to the beach where the 49-year-old was allegedly confronted, they discovered him roughly 50m from the footpath lying face up.

Jurors were told he had suffered a number of injuries to his body and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The trial continues.