Cops knew my boy’s killer was a monster
...BUT THEY DID NOTHING
MURDERED schoolboy Breck Bednar might be alive today if police had spotted that his killer was listed as a danger on TWO national crime databases.
Breck’s devastated mum Lorin LaFave, 47, learned last week that sadistic Lewis Daynes was on both the Police National Computer AND the Police National Database following a previous allegation of sexual assault and rape.
But Surrey Police failed to pick up either database warning when worried Lorin alerted them about her concerns for 14-year-old Breck’s welfare.
Two months later Breck was stabbed to death by Daynes, 19, who had been grooming him for months as they played violent computer games online.
Heartbroken Lorin, 47, said: “It’s unforgivable. It was there in black and white that another boy of Breck’s age had accused Daynes of grooming him and then sexually assaulting him.
“All it needed was for the police to run his name through the system and they would have noticed the pattern.
Tragic
“But no one picked up on it and now my son is dead. I felt like dying when I found out. I still feel like dying now.”
It was previously thought Surrey police missed Daynes’ disturbing history because the alleged offences had been reported to Essex Police.
But the new information released to shocked Lorin on Thursday proved that this was incorrect.
Although the Crown Prosecution Service decided against charging Daynes over the sex allegations in 2011, the offences were serious enough to be logged permanently on a police system to which EVERY force has access.
The revelation, days after Daynes was jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years, raises serious concerns because it suggests Surrey police should have spotted the old case in Essex.
Lorin – who has divorced from Breck’s dad Barry – continued: “We thought the previous allegations were missed because Daynes never went to trial over them – just one of those tragic things that couldn’t be helped.
“But I got a call from Essex Police on Thursday that confirmed the accusations were recorded – not once, but twice.
“They went on the Po li c e Na t i o n a l Computer in September 2011 after the allegations were first made, then added to t he Police National Database in March 2013. I was completely shocked. It makes Breck’s death all the more difficult to deal with, knowing that something could have been done to stop it.”
The entry in the Police National Database was logged weeks before Breck met his future killer through a virtual online gaming network used by boys from his Surrey school.
The police database Code of Practice, drawn up by the Home Secretary in 2010, urges forces nationwide to make use of it. It states: “The PND offers a capability for the Police Service to share, access and search local information electronically, overcoming artifi c i al geographical and jurisdictional boundaries.
“As a national system, it is crucial both the PND and the information obtained from it are used consistently across the Police Service.”
Despite that, Lorin’s warning call was never followed up. And last February computer engineer Daynes mur
dered Breck after luring him to his flat in Grays, Essex. Breck told his parents he was sleeping at a friend’s house near their home in Caterham, Surrey, but secretly travelled to see Daynes.
The older teenager – known in their online community as EagleOneSix – used duct tape to bind his victim by his wrists and ankles. Then he knifed him in the throat. Breck died within seconds.
Prosecutors said there was evidence of sexual activity between the pair before the killing – and gloating Daynes sent pictures of Breck’s bloodied body to two of his online friends. The police worker who took the worried call from Lorin was suspended pending an inquiry into possible misconduct. She has since resigned, although she maintains her decision was unrelated to Breck’s murder.
Grieving mum Lorin reveals today that she told police of her fears that Daynes might be not only a sexual predator but a terrorist threat.
Her suspicions grew because he insisted on using an Islamic name as an alias,
boasted of donating money to Syrian rebels and launched into rants against Breck’s Christian upbringing.
He was also obsessed with videos of terrorist beheadings.
Lorin said: “In a few months, Breck went from being my lovely, obedient boy, my right-hand man, to fighting against me and wanting to spend all his time online with Daynes.
“It became apparent that Daynes had a real problem with authority and the establishment and was trying to turn Breck that way. One day I noticed Daynes was using the name Heswari online instead of his real name and I asked Breck why.
“He told me it was just an alter ego but it sounded to me like a nod to the Middle East.
“I used to take Breck to church and Daynes tried to get him to stop going. He then told Breck that he had donated money he earned by trading Bitcoins online to a Syrian rebel unit.
“The way he was trying to distance Breck from his family reminded me of the young men who have been groomed to be jihadists. Daynes was also talented with computers and hacking. That and his extreme behaviour made him seem a threat. I worried he may have terrorist intentions.”
Daynes killed Breck in what the trial judge at Chelmsford Crown Court called a “sexual and sadistic” attack.
After slashing the youngster’s throat, he showered and changed before calling 999 to calmly claim he stabbed Breck after an “altercation”. Lorin said: “Even if the police didn’t take my fears of Breck being groomed for sex seriously, I thought they were certain to look into a possible terror threat – but apparently not.”
Holding back tears, she added: “I remember the last time I saw Breck. He was going off on a Spanish exchange with his school. As he stood on the doorstep I was overwhelmed by what a handsome young man he had become. His last words as he walked off were, ‘I love you’. “By the time he came home I was working away, so I never saw him again. But he put a photo on Facebook of himself with a girl he met.
“He was at the start of enjoying all life has to offer and it was taken away.
“Breck was so calm and gentle. He was my best friend. Now my life has been destroyed.” She added: “Daynes is only 19 and could be out when he is 44. I don’t believe he will
ever be safe. He is a dan- gerous man.”man ” In a terrible irony irony, US-born teaching assistant Lorin, who also has triplets aged 13, chose to bring up her children in the UK because our gun laws are tighter than in the States and she thought they would be safe.
She said: “As it turned out, Breck wasn’t safe at all.”
Yet despite the hurt and bitterness, Lorin is determined to see something positive come from her son’s death.
The Breck Bednar Foundation is his legacy. It has already raised more than £25,000 to educate young people about the dangers of cyber crime.
Surrey Police said yesterday: “A review of our call-handling centre has been carried out and changes have been implemented to improve the way information is handled and shared.
“There is an independent investigation led by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and we cannot comment further at this time.”