Murder of Kayleigh Haywood

Kayleigh Haywood
Born(2000-08-06)6 August 2000
England
Died15 November 2015(2015-11-15) (aged 15)
Ibstock, Leicestershire, England
Cause of deathBlunt force trauma
Internet homicide
Body discovered18 November 2015
Parent(s)Stephanie Haywood and Martin Whitby

The murder of Kayleigh Haywood, a 15-year-old girl from Measham, Leicestershire, took place in November 2015, following online grooming by Luke Harlow, a 27-year-old man who had contacted her on the social networking website Facebook.

Background

Harlow and Kayleigh exchanged 2,643 text messages following an initial contact on Facebook. Two weeks following the first contact, Kayleigh agreed to meet Harlow at his house in Ibstock, Leicestershire, on 13 November 2015. Upon meeting, Harlow supplied Kayleigh with large quantities of alcohol and touched her sexually. He then informed his neighbour, 29-year-old Stephen Beadman, that he had a "bird" at his house.

Murder

Beadman raped Kayleigh while she was drunk, before beating her to death with a brick.[1] She was reported missing and a search was conducted to find her.[2] Her body was found five days later in lakeside undergrowth near Ibstock. On 24 November 2015, an inquest heard that Kayleigh Haywood had died as a result of head and facial injuries, and her body had to be identified by dental records. A post-mortem examination also confirmed that she had been raped.[3]

On 20 November 2015, shortly after being arrested in connection with the disappearance and ultimately the murder of Kayleigh Haywood, Leicestershire Police announced that Stephen Beadman had been charged with rape and murder, and that Luke Harlow had been charged with grooming and two counts of having sexual activity with a child. Both were remanded in custody to await trial.[4]

Beadman admitted the murder of Kayleigh Haywood on 5 April 2016, while Harlow admitted the grooming and sexual activity charges, but denied a charge of false imprisonment, meaning that he would face a Crown Court trial on that charge, while Beadman's sentencing would be delayed until afterwards. Harlow was found guilty of that charge on 28 July 2016, with his sentencing and that of Beadman being heard 1 July 2016.[5] Harlow was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Beadman received a life sentence with a minimum term of 35 years, making him ineligible for parole until 2050.[6] Harlow was found to have groomed two other girls online, aged 13 and 15, both of whom believed he was their boyfriend.

Stephen Beadman died by suicide in prison, after being bullied by a fellow inmate, on 8 April 2021.[7][8]

Media portrayal

The grooming and murder of Kayleigh Haywood resulted in Kayleigh's Love Story, a film produced by Leicestershire Police and Affixxius Films which was shown to schoolchildren in Leicestershire and Rutland. A second documentary was screened on Channel 5, entitled Murder on the Internet.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Kayleigh Haywood: How murdered schoolgirl was groomed online". BBC News. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  2. ^ Godsall, David (18 November 2015). "Missing Kayleigh Haywood: Murder investigation launched". loughborough. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. ^ Watson, Leon (24 November 2015). "Kayleigh Haywood inquest told teenager's body had to be identified by dental records" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  4. ^ "Man, 28, accused of Kayleigh murder". BBC News. 20 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Man found guilty of false imprisonment of Kayleigh Haywood, 15". The Guardian. Press Association. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Kayleigh Haywood murder: Stephen Beadman jailed for life - BBC News". BBC News. July 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Kayleigh Haywood murderer dies in hospital". Birmingham Mail. 8 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Inquest hears cause of death for the monster who raped and murdered girl". 23 April 2021.
  9. ^ Machin, Helen (11 April 2017). "Channel 5 documentary tells how Kayleigh Haywood was groomed online". Tamworth Herald. Retrieved 28 April 2017.[permanent dead link‍]