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| Breck Bednar |
Tragedy:
Baby-faced Lewis Daynes (left) today admitted murdering Breck Bednar,
14, (right) who was found with a fatal neck wound at Daynes's flat in
Grays, Essex, in February
The
church-going son of a millionaire finance worker – who was said to be
addicted to online computer games – travelled by train to the flat of
stranger Daynes, then 18, who it is believed he had played with over the
internet.
Hours
later, the youngster was found dead by police at a flat in Grays – 30
miles away from the family home – after being knifed in the neck.
Paramedics tried to revive him but he died at the scene.
Daynes had denied murder but dramatically changed his plea on the day he was due to stand trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Dressed
smartly in a grey suit with a white shirt and tie when he appeared in
the dock today, Daynes said 'guilty' as the court clerk read the charge
to him.
The
victim's father, oil futures trader Barry Bednar, who is originally
from Houston, Texas, and now works at investment firm Tandem Partners in
London, was in court to hear Daynes's guilty plea.
Parents:
Breck's mother Lorin LaFave, 47, (left) said she was 'heartbroken and
lost' by her son's death and warned of the 'dangers of online
predators'. His father Barry Bednar (right) was also in court today
Barrister Richard Whittam QC said it was the prosecution's case that the murder 'involved a sexual, sadistic motivation.'
He said: 'The prosecution case was that at the time of his murder Breck was aged 14.
'The law makes specific provision for the murder of a child involving sexual or sadistic motivation.
'The prosecution have advanced the case on that basis and anticipate doing that again on the date of sentence.'
Daynes, flanked by two security officers, looked straight ahead and showed no emotion during the hearing.
Simon
Mayo QC, mitigating, said: 'For our part we would not be in the
position to provide my lady with the assistance she needs [to sentence]
for a few weeks.
Mother: Fighting
back tears, Ms LaFave thanked Breck's family and friends for their
support and the police who 'worked so hard on this tragic case'
Legacy: After their son's death, Ms
LaFave and Mr Bednar set up the Breck Bednar Memorial Foundation in
honour of their son to raise money and awareness to help protect
children
Mrs Justice Cox adjourned sentencing to January 12. The trial had been expected to last three weeks.
Breck's
mother, U.S.-born teaching assistant Lorin LaFave, 47, said today she
was 'heartbroken and lost' after the death of her son, who was killed on
her birthday.
Speaking outside court, Ms LaFave said: 'I am heartbroken and lost without my Breck and I will never be the same.
'He
was murdered on my birthday this year and so much of me died as well.
My poor triplets lost not only their adored big brother but also their
mother.
'Breck was my amazing, clever, beautiful boy, a beautiful son who we will miss forever.
'He had so much potential that he will never now reach. He had so much to give to this world.
'I
want Breck's tragedy to open the eyes of everyone to recognise the
dangers of online predators. It is a very real danger today.'
Scene: Breck was found at Daynes's
flat in Grays, Essex, in February. He had been stabbed in the neck and
although paramedics tried to revive him, he died at the scene
Investigation: Police guard the Essex flat where Breck was found in February
Fighting
back tears, Ms LaFave thanked Breck's family and friends for their
support and the police who 'worked so hard on this tragic case'.
After
their son's death, Ms LaFave and Mr Bednar set up the Breck Bednar
Memorial Foundation in honour of their son to raise money and awareness
to help protect children.
'I'll never stop missing my Breck,' Ms LaFave said.
Breck
is thought to have been a keen player of violent shooter videogame
Battlefield 4, which thousands of teenagers play online.
The
teenager's funeral at St John the Evangelist Church in Surrey was held
on March 17 - which would have been Breck's 15th birthday.
Following Breck's death, relatives said they were 'devastated' and 'in shock'.
They
said in a statement: 'He was a kind, intelligent, thoughtful boy with a
good sense of humour and was a dedicated student at St Bede's School in
Redhill and extremely gifted in computing, electronics, and
engineering.
'His three younger siblings knew him as a kind and loving older brother who always helped out by looking after them.
Home: Breck, from Caterham in Surrey, had left his family home (pictured) after arranging to meet a friend
'The
wider family remember him as a well-mannered, social, and confident boy
who was always thoughtful and patient with his younger cousins. We are
all in shock, and so grateful for the thoughts and prayers of friends
and family at this difficult time.'
Following her son's death, Ms LaFave said in an internet post: 'Breck was a clever, good and helpful boy.
'Like most teenagers, socialising, computers and games were what he enjoyed.
'The
problem was a predator who was trying to control his ideology about
religion, government, family, education. Breck looked up to him because
of his interesting manner and computer skills.
Tributes: Breck's family said they were 'devastated' and 'in shock' after the teenager's death
'Breck
couldn't see the bad and when I pointed out his obvious lies, they were
overlooked by Breck, his friends, and unfortunately the police. Breck
may have been shy when we saw cousins over three years ago, however he
is actually very calm, clever and confident young man. Unfortunately too
confident and independent to believe my warnings.'
His
father, who owns a £1million flat in Canary Wharf as well as a
£600,000 home in Surrey, had said his son appeared 'excited' after
returning from a school trip to Spain.
He
said: 'I last saw him on Sunday. He was a happy, gentle and smart boy.
He had been in Spain for ten days and he was excited to see us and be
home again.'
The
schoolboy's cousin Tanner Barth said Breck was 'addicted' to video
games and had stopped going to church and turned against his parents
after meeting a man on the internet.
In
an internet post, he wrote that Breck was an 'incredibly smart, funny,
and cute 14-year-old boy', before adding: 'Despite this it was very
difficult for him to make friends and he would often avoid social
interaction.
'So, like myself and many others he turned to his computer and the internet for entertainment.
'He
loved to play video games and may have even been a bit addicted to
them. He ended up meeting someone who he thought wanted to be his
friend.
'Soon a man began telling him that his parents hated him, and that God isn't real, and that he shouldn't go to church.
'They tried talking to him and helping him to no avail.
'Two nights ago, Breck told his father that he was going to his friend's house for a sleepover a couple of blocks away.
'He ended up taking a train down to Essex, about two hours away to meet a man he had been talking to over the internet.
Plea: Daynes had denied murder but
dramatically changed his plea on the day he was due to stand trial at
Chelmsford Crown Court (pictured)
MURKY ONLINE WORLD WHERE STRANGERS ARE FRIENDS
Friends
of 14-year-old Breck Bednar said after his death that he would spend
hours speaking to online ‘friends’ – often late at night – who he had
never met in real life.
As they played videogames on the internet, they would use a computer program called Teamspeak 3 to chat to each other.
The software allows computer users to make free calls over the internet in a similar way to a conference call or Skype.
Video games: Breck is thought to have
been a keen player of violent shooter videogame Battlefield 4, which
thousands of teenagers play online
Users
often wear a headset with an integrated microphone so they can talk as
they play online with several other gamers. Private chat channels can
also be set up by groups which are accessed by invitation only.
Teamspeak is free to use but there is a fee if someone wants to block
other users from joining in.
Breck
is thought to have been a keen player of violent shooter videogame
Battlefield 4, which thousands of teenagers play online. Hannah
Broadbent, of online protection charity Childnet, said: ‘Young people
should bear in mind that it’s not always easy to spot a groomer.
'Often
they might be chatting about things you are interested in and you might
not realise. You can never be completely sure that a person is who they
say they are on the internet.
‘The most important thing is that young people can tell someone if someone makes them feel uncomfortable online.
‘And
never meet up in person or share any personal information. If they are
contacted by someone who makes them feel uncomfortable it’s important to
report it.
‘It’s really important that we educate young people so they know how to navigate the risks.’
'Early the next morning, the police found his body.'
Breck's aunt Lisa Barth described the boy as 'absolutely wonderful' and said his death was a 'senseless, disgusting tragedy'.
And
Christopher Curtis, headmaster of St Bede's School, a Christian
comprehensive in Redhill, Surrey, where Breck went to school, said:
'Breck was a bright and hard-working student who was a real pleasure to
teach.
'His tutor describes him as a model student. A conscientious young man with a great deal of potential.'
It
is understood the schoolboy was part of a gaming group run by Daynes
called FEP squad, which had around eight members, all thought to be
around age 14, and some of whom had never met in person.
Eventually almost all the members left and joined a different group, but Breck stayed.
Speaking
after his arrest, Daynes's neighbours said he was 'extremely quiet'
loner who moved into the property 18 months before the tragedy with the
help of his grandparents, who paid for his rent and bills.
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