Alexander Cashford was hit from behind with a bottle and, despite his best attempts to flee, he was relentlessly pursued and attacked by the teenagers on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent

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The CPS has released images of the sickening attack(Image: CPS)

A lawyer told three teenagers who killed a man they thought was a paedophile their savagery was unacceptable.

Kate Blumgart KC, prosecuting the youths, said it was not their responsibility to take action against Alexander Cashford, 49, even if they felt he had committed sexual offences against minors. The court had heard yesterday the man had, in fact, not broken the law despite giving the girl his number at an amusement arcade.

But the girl, 16, a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy lured Mr Cashford to a beach on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent where they hit with rocks and a bottle, actions which caused the man to suffer more than 30 external injuries on his body and ultimately killed him.

The girl and the 15-year-old boy were convicted of the manslaughter yesterday. The 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to this charge at a previous hearing. All three youngsters were cleared of murder by the jury at Woolwich Crown Court.

But there, Ms Blumgart made a six-word cutting remark, telling the defendants: “This isn’t Lord of the Flies.” The lawyer referred to the 1954 novel by William Golding, which is about a group of boys who descend into savagery when stranded on an uninhabited desert island.

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Alexander Cashford, an electrician, lost his life(Image: PA)

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Mr Cashford was lured to Leysdown-on-Sea, a family-friendly resort in Kent(Image: CPS)

Reminding the jury she felt the teenagers to matters into their own hands, Ms Blumgart continued: “This is not a court of morality or rough justice. The defendants described him as a paedo. He had given (the girl) his business card. You may find that extremely distasteful but this isn’t Lord of the Flies.”

This is a point addressed by Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber, of Kent Police, who told the Daily Mail Mr Cashford had not broken the law in his interactions with the girl. The legal age of consent is 16.

DCI Kimber said: “There was nothing illegal about his actions. Whatever people’s views are, he certainly didn’t act illegally. We deal with the incident based on the evidence and the legal standing. Really, it’s not a moral judgment, it’s an evidential judgment on what the law says.”

The boys, who cannot be named due to their ages, sent Mr Cashford, an electrician, messages using the fake name “Sienna” and arranged to meet him by the sea wall two days after he gave his business card to their friend.

The 16-year-old boy followed closely behind Mr Cashford for 850 metres while he walked on the seafront with the girl. Jurors were shown shocking mobile phone footage recorded by the girl as the two boys pounced on Mr Cashford.

As the Press Association reports, the three defendants will be sentenced at a later date, expected to be in April.