A mum who lost her son when he was brutally murdered by an older teenager she had raised concerns about in the months leading up to his death has issued a desperate plea.
Lorin LaFave has been unwavering in her campaigning for online safety since her son, 14-year-old Breck Bednar, was murdered by an older teenager he played violent games with.
Breck, a member of 135 Squadron Air Training Corps in Surrey, began refusing to go to church, said he didn’t need to go to school, and quickly turned on his family after he started communicating with Lewis Daynes.
Just over a year later, Breck was then lured to Lewis’ flat in Essex, and lied about his whereabouts, before he was murdered.
Photos were then taken of his lifeless body and shared with other members of his gaming community.
Breck was communicating with friends online (Essex Police)
Lewis, then 18, described as ‘reclusive’ by neighbours, groomed Breck over a 13-month period, bought him secret phones and promised Breck ‘great wealth’, before the 14-year-old was killed on 17 February 2014.
A court at the time heard how there was evidence of sexual activity between the two shortly before Breck was killed and stabbed in the neck.
Computer engineer Lewis, who was 19 at the time of being sentenced to life in prison, was told he would have to serve a minimum term of 25 years for the fatal attack.
Mum Lorin, who last week spoke to LADbible about her family’s ordeal and bid for change, has been vocal about the harms of the online world and her calls for reforms.
READ MORE: “My son was groomed while gaming… a year later he was murdered”
She was interviewed ahead of the airing of From Minecraft to Murder: The Killing of Breck Bednar, which airs on Prime on Tuesday (20 October).
The Breck Bednar documentary airs on Prime (Multitude Media)
“If only Breck and his friends heard a story like this”
She told of how she had made repeated calls for help, including by calling the police, over fears Breck was being groomed by a ‘predator’ online, but felt like she was repeatedly coming up ‘against brick walls’.
She used the pain of her loss to set up the Breck Foundation, working tirelessly to educate young people, parents, and schools on online safety and grooming prevention.
Lorin now works with families who have found themselves in similar terrifying situations, claiming that Breck’s tragic story has now helped so many others.
She claimed that, at the time of his death in 2014, there was a lack of understanding surrounding the severity of online grooming, particularly when boys are the victims.
Lorin with son Breck (Submitted)
“Over the years, there has been too many people to count,” she told LADbible. “Parents, even professionals and police have all worked with us.
“So many people have said that by using Breck’s story and other real-life stories it makes it more real and engaging and believable.
“Maybe if only Breck and his friends had heard a story… because he was one of the early atrocities.
“Nobody wanted to talk about it. At the time, they said their children would be scared. But I’d rather my child have nightmares because they’re thinking about the dangers of what could happen than be sheltered from it, make a mistake and die.
“It has been really difficult at times, because we wanted to pass this message to younger and younger children.
“Not to scare them, but to get them used to hearing the words and learning about the grooming and the exploitation. Because you won’t understand it at first, but it sinks in and you learn more as you get older.
“But we talk about how Breck got hurt because he made a mistake and didn’t recognise that online friends are different to real life friends.”
The Breck Foundation works to educate young people about the risks of online exploitation, gaming dangers and digital abuse.
Telling Breck’s tragic story is done so to help children spot the key red flags of abuse.
“There’s still so much work to do,” she explained. “But together we keep pushing to bring about that awareness, because there’s always going to be new children born, new parents, new police, new teachers, and the technology moves so fast.
The Breck Foundation was set up in memory of the teenager (Breck Foundation)
“So these problems aren’t going to go away. But the best thing that we can do is try to work together and have the safety and the education in place.”
“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare”
Lorin has also weighed in on the importance of the online safety act and social media restrictions for younger users, but always said the stood firm against an outright ‘ban’.
The UK government announced earlier this year their plan to prevent social media access for children under 16, with enforcement targeted for Spring 2027, but it will not apply to all platforms.
Mum Lorin with her son Breck set up a foundation in his name (Supplied)
The mum pleaded for parents and carers to make sure that children are not glued to devices and instead ‘get their childhood back’.
“Brett and his friends would have been the first ones to find a way around any ban or social media,” she explained.
“It’s never going to be 100 per cent safe, but what I guess I’m hoping for is a change of culture, and so that we actually look at what children’s needs are.
“At 13, they don’t need to be attached to their phones. They don’t need to be attached to their platforms. I’m not saying that they can’t interact with their friends online, but it’s about the kind of interaction and the amount, and the dangerous algorithms, the content and addiction factor.
“There’s no perfect solution, but culturally, I’d love to just see us give children their childhood back. But it has to be a cultural change.”
Breck Bednar was just 14 when he was murdered (Essex Police)
“The last thing I want to do is alienate people. It’s really hard to move your way into the discussion as an older person.
“But I want people to learn from Breck’s story, because it’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Information on support networks can also be found at the Breck Foundation website.
Leave a Reply