grooming

Breck Bednar was a 14-year-old boy from Caterham, Surrey, who was murdered in February 2014 by Lewis Daynes, an older teenager he met on a gaming forum. Daynes, using the alias 'EagleOneSix,' groomed Breck over 13 months, isolating him from family and convincing him to travel to his flat in Grays, Essex, under the pretense of discussing a fictional software business. On February 17, 2014, after Breck arrived, Daynes stabbed him and later confessed to the crime. In November 2014, Daynes pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. As of October 2026, he remains incarcerated and will not be eligible for parole until he has served his minimum term. The case raised concerns about the dangers of online relationships, leading to the creation of an educational film, Breck’s Last Game, in collaboration with Breck's mother, Lorin LaFave.