Kayleigh killer dies in prison
Death stirs memories of brutal crimes that shocked the county
THE death of serving prisoner Stephen Beadman at HMP Wakefield last week stirred memories of a crime which stunned Leicestershire a little over six years ago - the rape and murder of 15-year-old Kayleigh Haywood.
The statement from the Prison Service on Thursday gave little away. It simply said Beadman was dead and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman had been informed.
Beadman, aged 34, was serving a life sentence for taking Kayleigh’s life in the most brutal fashion in the early hours of November 15, 2015.
He raped the Measham teenager and beat her to death before he concealed her body in undergrowth a mile or so from his home in Ibstock, near Coalville.
Her tragic story came to typify the darkest side of social media and the phenomenon of “online grooming” and the sexual exploitation of children and young people.
Kayleigh came into Beadman’s orbit after she began speaking to his friend, neighbour and, ultimately, co-defendant Luke Harlow, at the end of October 2015.
Harlow, then aged 27, had initiated the contact with the teenager through Facebook and had at first appeared friendly and chatty.
Within a few minutes the pair had swapped phone numbers and, over the course of the next two weeks, exchanged more than 2,600 messages, mostly by text.
Harlow’s calculated effort to “groom” Kayleigh was under way as he bombarded her with flirty compliments and flattery before his tone became insistent and his intentions darker. Eventually, she gave in and agreed to accept his repeated invitations to visit his home in George Avenue.
Kayleigh’s family dropped her off in the village on the evening of Friday, November 1. Acting on Harlow’s instructions, she told them he was going to a sleepover at a friend’s house.
The teenager spent the evening at Harlow’s house and called her family the next morning. This call was to be the last time they spoke to her.
Later on the Saturday, Harlow contacted his neighbour, Beadman, then aged 28, and invited him over to meet “the bird” he was with.
Some aspects of Kayleigh’s two evenings in the company of the two men are unknown.
However, in the early hours of Sunday, November 15, having been held against her will, she made an attempt to escape.
A neighbour saw Beadman chase and capture her as she fled Harlow’s home. Tragically, the witness thought Beadman was a police officer.
He then took her a short distance and raped her before taking her deeper into the countryside and beating her to death.
He later told police he had used a brick. Injuries on his face and hand were thought to be evidence of Kayleigh fighting back.
Miranda Moore QC, who prosecuted the case against the men some months later, told the hearing at Nottingham Crown Court: “Kayleigh was not submissive, she fought and fought and she ran and she was chased by him (Beadman).
“She was fighting him off, hence the injuries to his hand, she was shouting ‘Leave me alone, get off me’.”
On Monday, November 16, Beadman and Harlow were arrested in connection with Kayleigh’s disappearance.
Three days later, her family’s worst fears were realised when Leicstershire Police discovered Kayleigh’s body in undergrowth.
Their trial was heard at Nottingham Crown Court in the second half of June 2016. Beadman was sentenced in July 2016 to a minimum of 35 years in prison for Kayleigh’s rape and murder and her false imprisonment.
Harlow was given 12 years for grooming and false imprisonment.
Kayleigh’s family members sat through days of heart-breaking evidence - earning praise from the trial judge for their dignity - and were given an opportunity to express their loss.
In her victim impact statement read to the court, Kayleigh’s mum Stephanie said: “How do I begin to tell you how I feel. How does a mother explain to someone how her child has been taken away by evil people?
“There is so much anger inside my heart. I am completely destroyed, there’s no words to describe in this world how I feel each minute of each day. How could this happen, robbed of my daughter, robbed of my beautiful girl?
“I’ll never see her grow into a young lady, into a woman and mother, how cruel can someone be?
“No sentence will be enough, we cannot get back what we have had taken away, a beautiful young life.”
Beadman pleaded guilty to raping and murdering Kayleigh but denied a charge of false imprisonment - a jury found him guilty of this offence.
Harlow admitted grooming and two counts of sexual activity with the teenager, as well as two charges of attempting to meet two other 15 year-old girls for sex after grooming them online.
The trial judge Mrs Justice Cox told Beadman: “The pain, terror and anguish that would have been suffered by this young girl is truly horrifying to contemplate.
“I am entirely satisfied on the evidence that she would have been acutely distressed and frightened. She must have been absolutely terrified.”
Mrs Justice Cox also said Kayleigh’s parent’s should feel no guilt for failing to realise she had been groomed online.
She said: “It seems to me this is every parent’s worst nightmare.
“It is absolutely clear to me absolutely no blame can be attached to them for what happened.”
Det Supt Kate Meynell, who led the inquiry said after the pair had been sentenced: “There are people who have sinister reasons for being on [social media] and are prepared to exploit and target young people in order to gratify themselves.”
Later and with the support of Kayleigh’s family, Leicestershire Police made a short film - called Kayleigh’s Love Story - about the final two weeks of her life.
KAYLEIGH’S LEGACY
The film, which went on to win a series of awards, was designed to serve as a warning to young people, both girls and boys, about online grooming and the dangers of speaking to strangers or “friends” they meet online.
The force says it has been viewed by tens of millions of people around the world since its launch in early 2017.
Within a few months of it being shown in schools and youth clubs -
with specialist officers and staff on hand - scores of young people came forward to relate their own stories of unwanted sexual attention from strangers online.
Speaking on the fourth anniversary of Kayleigh’s death, Assistant Chief Constable David Sandall, said: “It is clear to see the impact of the film, not only in our force area but across the country and much further afield has been phenomenal.
“Tackling child exploitation remains a priority for the force and the issues the film raises are just as prevalent today as they were when the film was first released more than three years ago.
“I would encourage teachers who have not used the film in their school to consider showing it. Parents can also benefit from watching it with their teenagers, not only to help educate themselves but it might help start conversations at home about their online world.
“There are also signs that may indicate a child is being groomed, including a change in behaviour, isolation from friendship groups and a decline in performance at school.
“It’s important we all know the signs so we can act if we suspect a child is in danger.”
Donna Smalley, service manager for the multi-agency child sexual exploitation (CSE) team which helped police take the film to schools at the beginning of the campaign, said it was Kayleigh’s “legacy”.
She said: “The film and educational resources has proved invaluable in raising the profile of CSE, creating opportunities for both children, parents and professionals to engage in difficult conversations about risky relationships in both the actual and virtual world.
“The showcasing of the film encouraged many children to come forward and speak to trusted adults about, in some cases, direct abuse and unwanted online communication including online grooming.
“Kayleigh’s legacy enables the safeguarding of children from all forms of exploitation remains in the public domain.”