Father of boy murdered by online predator: If you go to police you expect something to be done

 
Family torn apart: Barry Bednar, left, and with his son Breck.
Kiran Randhawa13 January 2015
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The father of a boy groomed and murdered by an online predator hit out at police today for failing to protect him.

Breck Bednar was only 14 when he lost his life in a terrifying ordeal in February last year. Moments after his parents stood over his body at the mortuary, they were told their child’s teenage killer was known to police for the suspected rape of another boy.

In an interview with the Standard, Barry Bednar, 50, said he believed his son would still be alive if the police had done their job. Lewis Daynes, 19, who was jailed for 25 years yesterday over the killing, had previously been arrested by Essex police on suspicion of raping a 15-year-old boy in 2011, but the case was not pursued.

Breck’s mother Lorin LaFave

Breck’s mother Lorin LaFave, 48, contacted Surrey police on December 17, weeks before the murder, to report concerns that her son was being groomed by Daynes. It is alleged officers failed to investigate her warnings.

“If it was known he had previous sexual assault allegations, rape allegations, why did Essex police not place him into a system where Surrey police may have accessed that information?” said Mr Bednar. “I expect that in this modern country that we live in, when you go to police with a concern, especially about a child, especially about sexual grooming, you expect something to be done. When absolutely nothing is done or you get nothing back you start to doubt your fears. The police have let us down, they’ve let Breck down.”

Killer: Lewis Daynes

Breck met Daynes through a gaming community the older teenager ran. After months of grooming he persuaded Breck to travel from his home in Caterham, Surrey, to the older boy’s flat in Grays, Essex, on February 16 last year.

Daynes bound his limbs with duct tape and sexually assaulted him before stabbing him in the neck twice. Daynes then sent images of the body to online friends. At Chelmsford crown court he admitted murder. An inquiry by the Independent Police Complainsts Commission is under way into alleged failings by Surrey and Essex police.

He said he was grateful to the police in bringing their son’s killer to justice: “The work done post Breck’s murder has been excellent. They have all been so helpful and comforting and we can’t and don’t fault that.”

Mr Bednar, an oil futures trader, and Ms LaFave have three other children. They divorced in 2006. The murder had “wiped us out,” he said. “Lorin’s a shadow of her former self. She doesn’t drive, doesn’t work, she’s afraid to go out. I’m afraid to go out too. You feel guilty as a parent because you are supposed to protect your children.”

Surrey police said it had made changes to improve the way information is handled and shared. Essex police referred itself to the IPCC. The family has set up the Breck Bednar Foundation to highlight the dangers of meeting strangers online. Visit breckbednar.com

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