Kayleigh’s Love Story was released a year ago and has picked up awards
THE viral film charting the final tragic days of Leicestershire schoolgirl Kayleigh Haywood marked the anniversary of its release this week.
Released by Leicestershire Police on January 4 last year, the hard-hitting video has been seen an estimated 35 million times and won a string of awards.
Forming the centrepiece of the force’s campaign against child abuse and sexual exploitation, the five-minute film has also been placed in the National Film Archive.
Detailing her final days, the film shows Kayleigh chatting online to a man she did not know before taking the decision to meet him in person.
Over 13 days she was groomed by Luke Harlow, 27, before spending the night at his flat on November 13 2015.
The following day Harlow’s next door neighbour Stephen Beadman, 28, arrived and the pair plied her with drink.
She was sexually assaulted by Harlow before trying to flee, at which point she was chased by Beadman who raped and murdered the schoolgirl before dumping her body in a farmer’s field.
Harlow pleaded guilty to grooming and sexually assaulting Kayleigh, and to charges that he attempted to groom two other teenage girls. For his part, Beadman pleaded guilty to raping and murdering the schoolgirl.
But both men denied having held Kayleigh against her will, and following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court in June 2016 they were both convicted of this offence.
Harlow was sent to prison for 12 years, and Beadman was sentenced to life, with a recommendation that he must serve at least 35 years before he can be considered for release.
Made with the support of Kayleigh’s family, the film, by Loughborough’s Affixxius Films, was created with the help of experts in the field of child protection.
It was then rolled out across schools in Leicestershire for children aged 11 and above.
Shown to over 55,000 schoolchildren between September 2016 and March 2017, 50 children approached officers to make disclosures as a direct result of the screenings.
In some cases, investigations were opened into those suspected of committing offences against children.
Since its release the films has won seven awards.
EVCOM: Platinum Award for best in awards film
2017 EVCOM: Gold award in the Social Media category
2017 EVCOM: Silver award for Laures
2017 EVCOM: Bronze award for Charity and Not for Profit category
2017 ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY MIDLANDS: Gold Award, Best Promotional Programme
2016 DRUM CREAM: Best Digital: Online Video/Film/ Viral Advert or Campaign
2016 EVCOM: Bronze, Social Screen category of the Clarion Awards
In December, it was announced Kayleigh’s Love Story would be stored in the National Film Archive at the BFI.
Deputy chief constable Roger Bannister said at the time: “We made the film to raise greater awareness of the dangers posed to children by predators operating online and the most important statistic is that it led directly to 50 children in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland coming forward and making disclosures to us.
“Those disclosures enabled us to safeguard those children – something that may not have happened without this film.
“To win awards for our work is of course extremely rewarding – enormous care and effort went into the making of the film and the decision about how we should show it to children in small, supervised screenings in school.
“To learn that the BFI now intend to preserve the film in the national archive is hugely satisfying, and helps create a permanent legacy for an inspirational piece of work that was born from the bleakest and most tragic of circumstances.
“I hope Kayleigh’s family can feel some consolation that their daughter’s legacy will help keep children throughout the world safe for generations to come.”