Murdered teen's parents help fight online grooming

Young people are being made aware of the dangers

The parents of a 14-year-old boy who was murdered in 2019 have attended the launch of a youth programme to tackle online grooming in Sussex.

Breck Bednar, from Caterham, Surrey, was stabbed to death at an Essex flat in 2019 after he arranged to meet an internet friend.

His mother, Lorin LaFave, who founded the Breck Foundation to raise awareness of the dangers of online predators, attended the launch of the Sussex Youth Ambassador Pilot at BHASVIC College with Breck's father Barry Bednar.

Funded by Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner and run by the Breck Foundation, it has recruited and trained 48 ambassadors across 14 schools and colleges in Sussex to host awareness sessions on online grooming.

At the launch event, Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said it was "crucial" to educate young people about the "dangers of grooming and how to recognise the signs".

Katy Bourne told the audience: "Online grooming is a manipulative and insidious crime."

The ambassadors were congratulated for passing their first phase of training and watched a live performance of Breck's story – Game Over, written by Mark Wheeler and directed by Claire Lewis.

The play was performed by the Brighton Little Theatre Youth Company.

Breck Bednar met his killer online before travelling to meet him

Towards the end of the event, Breck's mother spoke to the audience, expressing her pride in the foundation and ambassadors who volunteered to tell her son's story.

She praised the Brighton Little Theatre Youth Company for its performance of Game Over.

After the summer holidays, the cohort of ambassadors will begin peer-to-peer sessions in their respective schools, educating other students about the dangers of online grooming and sharing Breck's story.

This aims to increase awareness of the dangers young people could face online, with the hope of safeguarding as many children and young people as possible.

"Breck's story is a tragedy," PCC Katy Bourne said, "but together we can help our young people stay safe online."