Murder of Breck Bednar

Breck David LaFave Bednar was born on 17 March 1999 and lived with his family in Caterham, Surrey. He had attended Caterham School from 2010 to 2012 and, at the time of his death, was a student at St Bede's School in Redhill and a member of the 135 Squadron Air Training Corps. His mother, Lorin LaFave, described him as relaxed and warm-hearted, with a passion for computing and online gaming. His parents, Barry Bednar and Lorin LaFave, were both born in the United States and had moved to England before Breck's birth due to Barry's work as an oil trader and shipping consultant.

Bednar had come to know Lewis Daynes exclusively through online gaming. His mother grew suspicious of Daynes' influence, noting changes in Breck's personality and ideology, and took steps including limiting his access to electronics, installing parental controls, and forbidding him from using the same game server as Daynes. On 17 December 2013, LaFave contacted Surrey Police to raise concerns about online grooming, warning that she believed her son was in danger. Despite her efforts, the two continued playing games online together for several months.

On 17 February 2014, Bednar took a taxi to Daynes' flat in Grays, Essex, meeting him in person for the first time. He had been expected to spend the weekend with his father, who later texted LaFave to say Breck had not arrived. Hours afterward, Bednar's 12-year-old triplet siblings began receiving messages describing photos of his body that had been circulated among members of a six-person online gaming group, which was subsequently confirmed by police. Bednar was found by police and paramedics at the flat with stab wounds to his neck; he was deceased at the scene.

Daynes, who had lived with various family members before living alone in a flat owned by his grandparents from around age 16, was prosecuted for the murder. Prosecutor Richard Whittam, QC, told the court the case was advanced under provisions for the murder of a child involving sexual or sadistic motivation. Defence counsel Simon Mayo, QC, said Daynes had Asperger syndrome affecting his judgment and argued there was insufficient evidence to prove premeditation. Daynes pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. Crown Prosecutor Jenny Hopkins described Daynes as "a controlling and manipulative individual who carefully planned this crime."

Following the case, Surrey Police's handling of LaFave's prior warning was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission for an independent investigation. Bednar's family later filed a lawsuit against Essex and Surrey police over the handling of the case, and in March 2016 accepted a settlement in which Surrey Police apologised and paid an undisclosed sum in compensation. The family established the Breck Foundation to raise awareness of online safety and the dangers of online predators.