Stephen Beadman

In November 2015, 15-year-old Kayleigh Haywood from Measham, Leicestershire, was groomed online by Luke Harlow, who contacted her via Facebook and exchanged over 2,600 messages with her, leading her to believe he was her boyfriend. On 13 November 2015, Kayleigh was dropped off by her father outside Ibstock Community College, ostensibly to meet friends, but instead went to Harlow's flat in Ibstock where she was kept prisoner.

Stephen Beadman, who lived next door to Harlow, met Kayleigh for the first time on the evening of 14 November 2015 when he visited the flat. Between 21:00 GMT on Saturday 14 November and 03:00 GMT on Sunday 15 November, both men falsely imprisoned Kayleigh. In the early hours of Sunday, a neighbour witnessed Beadman chasing the naked-from-the-waist-down Kayleigh as she attempted to flee the flat. Beadman caught her, took her across a road, raped her, and then marched her approximately 1.5 miles across rough terrain to a wooded area near a stream, where he battered her to death with severe head injuries.

Kayleigh's body was discovered three days later on 18 November 2015, hidden in a hedgerow, following an extensive search involving over 300 officers from Leicestershire Police. Beadman admitted to the murder and rape of Kayleigh at Nottingham Crown Court. He was also convicted of false imprisonment. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years. Beadman died in HMP Wakefield in April 2021 at the age of 34.

According to Leicestershire Police reports, the case highlighted the severe dangers of online grooming and child sexual exploitation. Vikki Rundle-Brown, Kayleigh's former PE teacher and senior safeguarding lead at Ashby School, described the impact as 'devastating' and emphasised the school's commitment to educating students about online safety to prevent similar tragedies. Detective Superintendent Helen Schofield of Leicestershire Police noted that the incident underscored the ongoing prevalence of grooming in the county and the importance of awareness campaigns.