Trial date set for teenagers charged with murder at seaside resort
Kent Police were called to the Warden Bay Road area of Leysdown-on-Sea, on the Isle of Sheppey, shortly after 7pm on Sunday, after an altercation involving a small number of people.
Alexander Cashford, 49, was confirmed dead at the scene, and police said multiple injuries to his body were reported.
A 16-year-old girl and two boys aged 14 and 15, all from London and thought to have been on holiday in Kent at the time of the attack, were charged with murder on Tuesday.
On Thursday, a provisional trial date was set at Maidstone Crown Court for January 13 next year.
The three are jointly charged with murder after a 'violent assault' took place near the beach in Warden Bay.
The defendants, two of whom appeared separately in court on Thursday and spoke only to confirm their names, were accompanied in court by their parents and other family members.
The 15-year-old boy is due to appear later.
The attack is alleged to have involved a glass bottle and rocks being thrown, the court heard.
On Thursday, the prosecution said the cause of Mr Cashford death is currently inconclusive as he seems to have suffered a 'medical episode such as a cardiac arrest could have been brought on by being chased and attacked'.
A 12-year-old girl, arrested on Tuesday in Basildon, Essex, has been bailed.
The 16-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been remanded into youth detention accommodation.
A plea and trial preparation date has been set for November 6.
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The Rio Grande Murders: New Mexico's most notorious unsolved crime
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Albert was a barber in Duquoin, Illinois. Early on a Sunday in May, 90 years ago, the two couples packed up George's '29 Nash and set out on a leisurely road trip along Route 66 to California. On May 21, 1935, the couples checked into the Vaughn Hotel, signing their names on the hotel register. The next morning, they drove to Albuquerque and dropped off postcards at the downtown post office. On a picture postcard of Starvation Peak (New Mexico), Albert Heberer wrote to his brother in Illinois, '…everybody o.k. no trouble of any kind. going to Boulder Dam…' Albert noted his card was written at '11 a.m.' A second postcard written by George Lorius was signed with the initials 'G.M.L.' The postcards were postmarked May 22, 1935, 12:30 pm. The four Illinois tourists were never seen or heard from again. The next morning, six miles south of Socorro, the tourist's car was found wrecked on the side of the road. 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May you now and forevermore rest in peace,' said Amy Ashcraft. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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an hour ago
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