The teenage son of a millionaire was stabbed to death by a ‘predator’ he met online who groomed him through video games

The teenage son of a millionaire was stabbed to death by a ‘predator’ he met online who groomed him through video games, it was claimed yesterday.
Breck Bednar, 14, said he was going to a sleepover at a friend’s house on Sunday night.
But secretly the teenager – who was said to be addicted to online computer games – travelled by train to the flat of an 18-year-old stranger who it is believed he had played with over the internet.
Hours later, the church-going youngster was found dead by police at a flat in Grays, Essex – 30 miles away from the family home in Caterham, Surrey – after being knifed in the neck.

Victim: Breck Bednar, 14, who was allegedly stabbed to death by a man he met off the internet

Paramedics tried to revive him but he died at the scene.
Lewis Daynes, an 18-year-old computer engineer, appeared in court yesterday
charged with murder, and was remanded in custody.
Last night it emerged that Breck’s family had alerted police as early as December that their son was being targeted over the internet.
The case has now been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission for investigation.
His mother Lorin LaFave spoke of her fears that a ‘predator’ had preyed on her son via a secretive gaming forum.
Miss LaFave, 47, a US-born teaching assistant and school governor said in an internet post: ‘Breck was a clever, good and helpful boy.
‘Like most teenagers, socialising, computers and games were what he enjoyed.
‘The problem was a predator who was trying to control his ideology about religion, government, family, education. Breck looked up to him because of his interesting manner and computer skills.
‘Breck couldn’t see the bad and when I pointed out his obvious lies, they were overlooked by Breck, his friends, and unfortunately the police. Breck may have been shy when we saw cousins over three years ago, however he is actually very calm, clever and confident young man. Unfortunately too confident and independent to believe my warnings.’
Yesterday Breck’s American father Barry paid tribute to his ‘happy, gentle and smart boy’.

Victim: Breck Bednar, 14, who was found with stab wounds in Grays, Essex, after telling his parents he was going for a sleepover near his home in Caterham, Surrey. Right, his mother Lorin LaFave

Family home: The detached property in Caterham, Surrey, which Breck Bednar lived in with his parents

Scene: The 14-year-old boy was rushed to hospital after being stabbed in this block of flats in Grays, Essex. He was later pronounced dead

The 49-year-old, who works for investment firm Tandem Partners, and who owns a £1million flat in Canary Wharf as well as a £600,000 home in Surrey, said his son appeared ‘excited’ after returning from a school trip to Spain.
He said: ‘I last saw him on Sunday. He was a happy, gentle and smart boy. He had been in Spain for ten days and he was excited to see us and be home again.’
The schoolboy’s cousin Tanner Barth said Breck was ‘addicted’ to video games and had stopped going to church and turned against his parents after meeting a man on the internet.
In an internet post, he wrote that Breck was an ‘incredibly smart, funny, and cute 14-year-old boy’, before adding: ‘Despite this it was very difficult for him to make friends and he would often avoid social interaction.
‘So, like myself and many others he turned to his computer and the internet for entertainment.
‘He loved to play video games and may have even been a bit addicted to them. He ended up meeting someone who he thought wanted to be his friend.
‘Soon a man began telling him that his parents hated him, and that God isn’t real, and that he shouldn’t go to church.

MURKY WORLD WHERE STRANGERS ARE FRIENDS

Friends of 14-year-old schoolboy Breck Bednar told yesterday how he would spend hours speaking to online ‘friends’ – often late at night – who he had never met in real life.
As they played videogames on the internet, they would use a computer program called Teamspeak 3 to chat to each other.
The software allows computer users to make free calls over the internet in a similar way to a conference call.
Users often wear a headset with an integrated microphone so they can talk as they play online with several other gamers. Private chat channels can also be set up by groups which are accessed by invitation only. Teamspeak is free to use but there is a fee if someone wants to block other users from joining in.
Breck is thought to have been a keen player of violent videogame Battlefield 4, which thousands of teenagers play online. Last night Hannah Broadbent, of online protection charity Childnet, said: ‘Young people should bear in mind that it’s not always easy to spot a groomer.
'Often they might be chatting about things you are interested in and you might not realise. You can never be completely sure that a person is who they say they are on the internet.
‘The most important thing is that young people can tell someone if someone makes them feel uncomfortable online.
‘And never meet up in person or share any personal information. If they are contacted by someone who makes them feel uncomfortable it’s important to report it.
‘It’s really important that we educate young people so they know how to navigate the risks.’

Scene: A forensics officer can be seen entering the flats in Grays, Essex, today where the 14-year-old schoolboy was found seriously injured on Monday. He later died

Probe: A forensics officer is seen in Grays, Essex, today as police carry out a murder investigation

‘Breck became distant, stopped going to church and quit his extracurricular [activities] altogether.
‘They tried talking to him and helping him to no avail.
‘Two nights ago, Breck told his father that he was going to his friend’s house for a sleepover a couple of blocks away.
‘He ended up taking a train down to Essex, about two hours away to meet a man he had been talking to over the internet.
‘Early the next morning, the police found his body.’
Breck’s aunt Lisa Barth described the boy as ‘absolutely wonderful’ and said his death was a ‘senseless, disgusting tragedy’.
And Christopher Curtis, headmaster of St Bede’s School, a Christian comprehensive in Redhill, Surrey, where Breck went to school, said: ‘Breck was a bright and hard-working student who was a real pleasure to teach.
‘His tutor describes him as a model student. A conscientious young man with a great deal  of potential.’

'Murder': Breck Bednar is thought to have travelled from his home in Caterham, Surrey, to Grays, Essex

It is understood the schoolboy was part of a gaming group run by Daynes called FEP squad, which had around eight members, all thought to be around age 14, and some of whom had never met  in person.
Eventually almost all the members left and joined a different group, but Breck stayed.
Yesterday neighbours described how an ashen-faced teenage boy was led away from the Essex flat where Breck was found after arriving on Sunday night in a taxi.
They described Daynes as an ‘extremely quiet’ loner who moved into the property 18 months ago with the help of his grandparents, who paid for his rent and bills.
A spokesman for Surrey Police said: ‘Surrey Police is working with Essex Police following the tragic death of a 14-year-old boy from Caterham in Grays, Essex on Monday, February 17.
‘Due to recent contact Surrey Police had with the victim’s family the case has been referred to  the Independent Police Complaints Commission.’

Probe: A police van is parked outside the block of flats in Grays, Essex, which Breck Bednar travelled to

Cordon: Police tape around bins outside the block of flats which have been cordoned off while police investigate the alleged murder

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