- 3 minutes ago
Britain's Most Evil Killers S07E01 (Sep 13 2022)
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00In February 2014, 14-year-old Breck Bednar went in secret to meet fellow online gamer Lewis Daines.
00:12This wasn't a case of a really naive young boy.
00:16This was somebody being manipulated by someone who was an incredibly sophisticated liar.
00:23Breck had all the things in the world going for him.
00:26I think Daines set out to destroy that.
00:31I need police and a forensic team to my address, please.
00:35But this was a game that Breck Bednar couldn't win.
00:38There were plans, there were purchases made that show that Breck wasn't ever going to leave that flat alive.
00:47I turned around and I flashed his throat.
00:50The babyface killer was just 18 when he brutally took the life of Breck Bednar.
00:56Ripping him from his doting family.
00:59I feel like I was such a player in this horrible game of death.
01:03I could have made a difference.
01:06This wasn't an accident, it wasn't an illness.
01:08It was something that I was a player in.
01:11I played to my best ability, but I still lost Breck.
01:15That's what makes Lewis Daines one of Britain's most evil killers.
01:20In January 2015, Lewis Daines was found guilty of the murder of Breck Bednar.
01:46The 19-year-old recluse had lured the younger boy to his home via the world of virtual gaming.
01:53He then slashed 14-year-old Breck's throat in cold blood.
01:58It was an unimaginable loss for Breck's mother, Lauren.
02:02Breck was so driven that he already was thinking about careers and he was only just going on 15 and he was thinking about what kind of career he was going to do and carve out something interesting and unique that he would like to do for his work.
02:21And that's how he was lured in and it breaks my heart to think at what point did he realize, oh my, this is not right.
02:32If I could do anything in this world, it would be able to have known that he was going there and burst through the door with the police and stop it.
02:49Sadly, I can't go back and do that.
02:50If only I had known, you know, I just, I felt this person was a danger, but I had no idea they were a psychopathic killer.
03:02This killer's story begins in Essex in the southeast of England.
03:07Lewis Mark Danes was born in Harold Wood in Essex in October 1995.
03:16His father was a customs officer, his mother was a nurse, or so we believe.
03:21He grew up in and around Hornchurch in Essex to the east of London.
03:26He was socially inept, awkward, isolated, a real only child syndrome.
03:33What we know about Danes' background is that it was quite turbulent.
03:39He was in the care system from a very young age.
03:42His mum was a single parent and she abandoned him when he was very young.
03:47So he went from care placement to care placement and never really had any sense of security or stability or continuity.
03:55So I think this led him to become quite insular.
03:58He didn't really develop relationships with other people that were meaningful.
04:01There's no particular record of his being distinguished at school, although he has some talent for computers.
04:08There's no particular record of him excelling at anything.
04:12Perhaps the only thing that Lewis Danes excels at is creating a world for himself.
04:17Danes' often difficult behavior meant that his family struggled to cope.
04:22At age 14, he was assessed and diagnosed with mild Asperger's syndrome.
04:28This essentially means that he would have had difficulties communicating and relating to other people.
04:35It would have even further increased his sense of isolation and his sense of differentness, his sense that he was special.
04:43The thing with Asperger's syndrome is that we have to be careful we don't associate this with violence because many people have this condition and never do anything to harm other people.
04:58I think in Danes' case, it would have amplified his isolation, his sense of insularity.
05:03So I think it's an interesting factor here, but it's certainly not a prescription for murder.
05:09In 2011, age 16, Danes was accused of rape and computer hacking by a student at his school.
05:19There can be no denying that by the age of 16, Lewis Danes has got a formidable sexual appetite.
05:26We often don't see this kind of behavior start to develop until later on in life.
05:34And to have someone who is just barely out of childhood themselves causing this amount of harm to someone else is very, very concerning.
05:43Cyber crime investigator Clifton Pell was tasked with looking at the teenager's computer.
05:51He was hacking into his school IT.
05:55He wanted to, for one, teach the school a lesson, I believe, and also he also wanted to show his capabilities because he wanted to assist the school IT with their security.
06:10And so it was quite pompous at that sort of age, I think.
06:17At the time, they didn't find anything pertinent to the allegation, and Danes was off the hook.
06:23After the incident, Lewis moved out of the family home, becoming more reclusive.
06:30There came a point, I think, where his dad couldn't cope with him.
06:32He went to live with his grandma for a while, but then it got to the point where she couldn't cope with him.
06:37And so, therefore, he then was found a place provided by the council, living on his own from the age of 16.
06:44It's quite a surprising thing for many people to take in, but I think he's the kind of individual who will present as quite quiet, as not troublesome, as somebody who isn't going to create lots of drama.
07:00So he knows the ways in which he has to behave to get the kind of outcomes that he wants.
07:07So you have this almost tragic boy growing into adolescence in a world of his own creation, and that world is focused, by the time he gets into his teens, on computers.
07:20Those are his only connections.
07:22Danes became increasingly popular through these virtual connections, offering an exciting platform where younger gamers could socialize while playing.
07:34When they were running their games, they were able to speak to each other as to what they were doing.
07:40The Battlefield 4 game also had, like, a commander level.
07:45Lewis Danes was actually the commander.
07:47These are friendships that he can contain, that he can control, because they're going on behind a screen.
07:55And I think his lack of normal peer relationships is very significant here, because our friends act as a check on our behavior.
08:03They will call us out when they think we're out of order.
08:06And Danes doesn't appear to have had any solid friendships like that.
08:10What he's done is create a very private world in which he only invites a very few people into.
08:19He dictates the terms, and he says who comes and goes, and when they join, and when they can't.
08:26He is the ringmaster of his own tiny circus.
08:30But the insular teen was walking a tightrope.
08:33He found a power in the virtual world that he didn't have in the real one.
08:38A dark power that would eventually lead to murder.
08:42In 2013, 17-year-old Lewis Danes was living in a virtual reality, playing online games in his flat in Essex.
09:04Breck Bedner was one of the impressionable teens invited to play on Danes' forum.
09:12Just 13 years old, Breck lived with his family in Caterham, Surrey.
09:18One of four children to his parents, Barry Bedner and Lauren LaFave Gordon.
09:25It took me four years to have Breck.
09:27And when he finally arrived, it was the absolute best time of my life.
09:35I always wanted a big family.
09:37And getting lucky enough to get triplets after Breck.
09:41We had an instant family on two pregnancies, and it was everything I dreamed of.
09:48And young Breck really took to being an older brother,
09:52assisting mum Lauren with the challenges of caring for three babies.
09:58He loved being big brother.
10:00He'd be in charge.
10:03Triplets! Come on, triplets! Let's go!
10:05And he was my little helper.
10:07And I always say, all along, from an early age, he was my right-hand man.
10:14He was kind of a guiding figure for us.
10:17He would teach us things.
10:20He would provide our entertainment as well.
10:22He'd always come up with our games.
10:24He was such a cool older brother.
10:26We had bad days, of course, where he doesn't like his younger siblings.
10:31Who does?
10:32Like, they're not going to admit that.
10:34But he's, in my mind, he's just, just truly amazing.
10:38And I couldn't ask for a better older brother, really.
10:49Breck's dreams of becoming a pilot led him to simulator games on the family PC,
10:54and he soon developed a passion for gaming.
11:00Things changed, I guess, when Breck got his own computer.
11:05He had, like, three screens, one with the chat, one with the game,
11:09and one with YouTube or something, something like that.
11:12He put a lot of money and a lot of effort into his perfect gaming setup.
11:18Computer time for him then became something that he would do alone in his room.
11:21Behind the now-closed door of his bedroom,
11:26Breck continued to play online with his friends.
11:29But in their quest for an ever-faster gaming platform,
11:33they'd be introduced to the dark world of Danes' virtual club.
11:39It was apparently a great place to hang out.
11:43It was faster, more efficient, more interesting.
11:46And so Breck had told me that Danes ran the server
11:52and that you had to be invited in.
11:55Breck was excited to finally be invited into the fold.
12:01And all of the boys in the gaming group had established
12:04that this was a clever person
12:06who was teaching them things about computing and gaming,
12:10and so they kind of looked up to him like a mentor.
12:15Lewis was knowledgeable,
12:16and I think he was knowledgeable
12:18compared to the lads that he was playing games with.
12:23And I think because of that, they had him on a pedestal.
12:28They were also being complimented.
12:31They were having fun.
12:32You know, all the sort of things that you would want
12:34within a real relationship,
12:36but we didn't know who the person was,
12:38and that's what concerned me.
12:40And those concerns would only grow stronger
12:43as Danes began telling the boys elaborate stories
12:46about who he was.
12:48He had told me that Danes was living in New York City,
12:53that he had a really important job
12:55that had sort of contracts to do with government work.
12:59He was a multimillionaire.
13:01He was an undercover agent for the FBI,
13:03that he would get Breck an apprenticeship with Microsoft.
13:09And it sounded too unrealistic,
13:11because I asked Breck, how old is he?
13:12And he said, you know, 17.
13:13And I said, how does a 17-year-old get to that level?
13:17And Breck, kind of with big eyes, said,
13:19because he's that clever, Mom.
13:21It is remarkable but horrifying
13:25that this young man can parade this tissue of lies
13:30to these suggestible 14-year-olds,
13:35and they swallow each and every one of them.
13:39The Bednar family celebrated Breck's 14th birthday
13:44in March of 2013.
13:47The celebrations would be short-lived
13:49as tensions began to mount
13:51over Danes' growing influence on Breck.
13:55He'd spend more and more time in his room,
13:57less time with us.
14:02It's really difficult to tell the difference
14:04between changes in personality
14:06because of an age and hormones
14:08and rites of passage and something more sinister.
14:13I could tell with my own child
14:14that it didn't seem right.
14:16As time went on,
14:18Danes continued to poison the mind of young Breck,
14:22using private conversations in the online group chat
14:25to manipulate Breck
14:27and turn him against his other friends.
14:30If Danes didn't want you there anymore,
14:32he also could ban or kick someone out.
14:35So I think all of them put up with a lot of bullying
14:38and a lot of sort of not very nice behavior
14:42because they didn't want to be kicked out of that group.
14:46The more other people questioned him,
14:49the more Breck seemed devoted to him.
14:51Now, to my mind, that's entirely the result
14:54of Danes' actually targeting Breck.
14:58But it wasn't just Breck and his friends
15:01that Danes was targeting.
15:03He began to turn his attention to Breck's mum
15:06and the relationship she had with her son.
15:10He started to tell Breck during the Team Speak meetings
15:13that he shouldn't put up with being asked to do things by his family.
15:19At one point, he even drafted a whole memo saying,
15:23this is what you should put up with,
15:25this is what you shouldn't have to put up with.
15:27And it wrote at the bottom, written and edited by Louis Danes.
15:31I mean, he wasn't holding back from authorship.
15:34He was, if anything, proud of it.
15:38It really saddens me to think that he was turning Breck
15:41against me and against Breck's genuine friends.
15:46We had such a good relationship,
15:49but Danes really wanted to get in between us, and he did.
15:53He would tell Breck that I had too many rules,
15:57that Breck shouldn't have to eat family meals,
16:00that Breck shouldn't have to go on family walks.
16:02And the thing is, is I don't care how old you are.
16:05Family meals, family walks, family celebrations and events
16:08are fun forever.
16:10But because Danes came from something
16:16that didn't have any of that loveliness in life,
16:19was more jealous of it,
16:22and just wanted to take it away from Breck.
16:26Breck represents everything that Danes isn't.
16:29And with every little bit of Breck's identity
16:32that Danes takes away,
16:34he feels that sense of control over him.
16:37So I think there's an increasing sense
16:39in which he feels powerful.
16:40He feels like he's in control,
16:42and he really enjoys that.
16:44By December 2013,
16:47Lauren was so troubled by the relationship
16:49between her son and Danes,
16:52she had to take action.
16:54She's aware that Danes is now
16:56this shadowy figure on the edge of their lives.
17:00And so, to her eternal credit,
17:02she reports her fears to the Surrey police.
17:04Um, yes, I have a 14-year-old son,
17:10and there's an 18-year-old...
17:13Well, he says he's an 18-year-old person,
17:15and I feel like he's being groomed.
17:18Believing the police were investigating
17:20her claims about Danes,
17:23Lauren decided to follow their advice
17:25and take drastic action.
17:27Obviously, your son's only 14.
17:30Can you stop him using this website?
17:32I have taken his computer away.
17:35He's going to be completely beside himself,
17:38but, I mean, it's the right thing to do, I know.
17:40But he's going to feel like I've ruined his life.
17:42The family were pleasantly surprised
17:45when Breck's behaviour improved significantly
17:48over the Christmas period.
17:50He promised to cut ties with Danes and the group.
17:53It was like the perfect Christmas
17:56because he wasn't on his computer,
17:58he wasn't gaming,
17:59he was actually enjoying time with the family,
18:02and it felt like normal again.
18:05Breck then, shortly after that,
18:06did get his technology back,
18:08and we had more discussions,
18:10and he was more level-headed.
18:11It sounded like he was understanding,
18:14you know, my concerns.
18:17Unbeknown to Lauren,
18:18the return of Breck's computer
18:20meant the return of Danes,
18:22whose hold over Breck
18:24only increased with the gifting
18:26of multiple games and gadgets.
18:31This is akin to a kind of love-bombing
18:33that we see with abusers,
18:35where they bombard somebody with gifts and attention,
18:39almost so they feel indebted to them,
18:41and that's definitely what's going on here.
18:44In February 2014,
18:46with normality seemingly returned to the Bednar house,
18:51Breck prepared for a school trip to Spain.
18:54Lauren had no idea that Danes and Breck
18:57were still in communication
18:58and starting to make plans to meet in the real world.
19:02When he was leaving,
19:04we hugged and kissed and said we loved each other,
19:07and as he walked away,
19:09I was so proud.
19:10He walked with the confidence.
19:12Even saying that makes me sad,
19:14he was maybe too confident
19:16that he could make sort of the decisions that he made.
19:20I just never thought that that would be the last time
19:22that I'd see him alive.
19:25Danes and Breck were about to meet in the real world.
19:28Once virtual teammates on a fantasy battlefield,
19:32Breck had no idea he was heading into a battle of his own,
19:36with an enemy he thought was a friend.
19:48February 5th, 2014.
19:51Louis Danes and Breck Bednar
19:53had been in contact online for over a year.
19:56Their conversations became more secretive
19:59after 18-year-old Danes
20:01had a mobile phone couriered to 14-year-old Breck's house
20:05just days before he set off on a school trip to Spain.
20:10They're still keeping in contact with one another,
20:13but now Breck is discovering another world.
20:16He's out with his friends.
20:18He even meets a girl.
20:20A perfectly normal thing.
20:22But this only increases Louis Danes' desire
20:25to control Breck Bednar completely.
20:28Worried he was losing his hold over Breck,
20:34Danes concocted yet another of his fantasies,
20:37telling Breck that he was dying
20:39in order to draw him back into his world.
20:43He didn't really like the fact that Breck was being talked about,
20:46especially in terms of Breck being with a girl.
20:50Breck thought that he was going to hand over
20:52this multi-million-pound company to Breck
20:55because he was dying.
21:01He wanted him to do all sorts of research,
21:03and I think this was to stop Breck
21:05associating with other people.
21:07On the 15th of February, 2014,
21:14Breck Bednar returned home from Spain
21:17just as mum Lauren arrived in Spain for work.
21:20With her out of the picture,
21:22Danes fed Breck the cover story he would use
21:25to allow them to finally meet.
21:27He was telling Breck, he needs to say to his dad,
21:31can I stay over at my friends?
21:34It was a friend that was only sort of three streets away.
21:37But he wasn't to do it until he was at Danes' place.
21:46Danes knew that I would be away.
21:47He arranged it and told Breck all the right lies
21:50to tell to, you know, to trick his dad
21:53who only had a month, you know, every other weekend.
21:55So didn't know the routines as well.
21:59It was all planned out.
22:01It was all thought through.
22:04Danes realizes that Breck's mother
22:06is a potential barrier to him getting what he wants.
22:09So the timing of this is very deliberate.
22:13On the 16th of February, 2014,
22:17as the Bednar family were waking up,
22:19Breck got into a taxi telling his dad
22:21that he was visiting a friend from school.
22:24His family had no idea
22:26that he'd never return from that visit.
22:28He never really needed to worry about Breck
22:31because Breck was sensible.
22:34He had it together.
22:34He was smart.
22:36So it would never come to my mind
22:37to ever worry about him
22:39or think that he was in danger.
22:41But Breck was in more danger
22:43than anyone could have imagined
22:45when the two finally met
22:47at Danes' flat that morning
22:49at 7.43 a.m.
22:51Danes comes out of the flat,
22:54pays the taxi driver.
22:56This is the first time
22:57Breck Bednar and Louis Danes
22:59have ever met in person.
23:03And yet so much under Danes' spell
23:05is Breck Bednar
23:07that he doesn't think twice
23:09before going into his flat
23:11in Grey's in Essex.
23:12Just as Danes had planned,
23:16Breck messaged his dad
23:18asking if he could stay overnight.
23:21Still believing that Breck
23:22was with a school friend,
23:24he agreed.
23:25I was just excited
23:26that Breck was going on a sleepover
23:28because he didn't often
23:29do that kind of thing.
23:32I didn't even remember
23:33the name of the friend,
23:35but I didn't think anything bad of it.
23:39It's unclear exactly
23:41what went on between Danes and Breck
23:43over the course of the next 24 hours.
23:47Breck's father first became worried
23:49when Breck failed to reply to a message.
23:52Soon after, he called Lauren in Spain
23:55to check if she'd heard from him.
23:59He was supposed to be home,
24:01and I immediately started
24:02calling Breck's friends,
24:04and they didn't know what to say to me.
24:07They were acting extremely funny
24:10on the phone with me,
24:11and I finally said,
24:13where is he?
24:14Because I was panicking.
24:16And they said,
24:17he's with Lewis.
24:18And that's when my heart just sank
24:20because I knew that was bad news.
24:25Hi there.
24:30Okay.
24:31Hello.
24:32I need police
24:34and a forensic team
24:35to my address, please.
24:37What do you mean?
24:38What's happened?
24:40My friend and I
24:42got into an altercation,
24:44and
24:45I'm the only one
24:47who came out alive.
24:49Are you telling me
24:50you've killed somebody?
24:51Yes, I am.
24:52When Danes finally calls the police
24:59at 11.06 the following morning,
25:01the 17th of February,
25:02he's extraordinarily collected.
25:05There's no emotion.
25:07There's no shaking.
25:08There's no trembling in his voice.
25:10He is absolutely together.
25:14To my mind,
25:15that simply underlines the fact
25:16that this is what he'd planned to do
25:18all the way along.
25:19You're telling me
25:22he is definitely dead?
25:23Yes, I'm telling you
25:24he's definitely dead.
25:26Why did he come to stay with you?
25:28Because he was fed up
25:29with his home life.
25:32You both went to bed,
25:33and then what's happened this morning?
25:34I woke up.
25:37He was just standing up.
25:40He was in a mess.
25:41Hands on his face.
25:42I got up.
25:43I put my arms around him,
25:44and I said it was okay.
25:46He just shrugged me off
25:47and said no.
25:48I can't remember exactly what he said.
25:49He was going on about
25:50how he didn't want to go home.
25:52He was fed up with his life.
25:54He didn't want to go.
25:55It's something that he's probably
25:59rehearsed on multiple occasions.
26:01It's probably something
26:02that he has written down,
26:03that he's memorised.
26:04He knows exactly what he's saying,
26:07and he seems to be quite careful
26:08with his choice of words.
26:10I have a chest of drawers.
26:14I had a penknife on there,
26:16folded.
26:17He picked it up,
26:18opened it,
26:19and then lost control.
26:22I, in self-defense,
26:24put my left arm up
26:26to block him
26:27from stabbing me effectively.
26:30We struggled.
26:31I got him to the ground.
26:32He got up.
26:35I got the knife.
26:37Can you not interrupt me
26:39with this part?
26:40The operator chips in
26:42to ask him a question
26:43or make a comment,
26:44and he says,
26:45don't interrupt me,
26:47and that is really revealing.
26:48These kind of behavioural leaks
26:50are incredibly telling
26:52about the person he really is.
26:56I grabbed the knife,
26:58and I stabbed him once
26:59in the back of the neck,
27:01I believe somewhere
27:02near the brain stem.
27:04He turned around,
27:06tried to carry it on,
27:08and I think I stumbled,
27:10on my chest of drawers.
27:11I fell over.
27:12I got back up,
27:13backed away,
27:14and then...
27:15I don't remember
27:18exactly what happened,
27:19but the fight ended
27:20with me cutting his throat.
27:23I believe I turned around,
27:25and I slashed his throat.
27:27He takes a 14-year-old boy's life
27:34and doesn't show a shadow
27:37of remorse
27:37or regret.
27:41Not one.
27:42All I know is,
27:45I dropped the knife
27:46in my hallway,
27:48I stripped down
27:49and just sat in the shower.
27:50Right, you've left the weapon
27:52in the hallway.
27:53Yes.
27:54And have spent how long
27:55sitting in the shower?
27:57I don't know.
27:58Are the police on their way?
28:00I can hear...
28:00They are, they are.
28:01I'm going to go
28:02and do my part.
28:03Please, thank you for your help.
28:04Right, just listen.
28:05He is basically telling us
28:09that this is rehearsed,
28:11that this is a performance,
28:12that he has to go
28:13and play a role now.
28:14He has to go
28:14and play a part.
28:16So where we look carefully
28:17at the things offenders say
28:19in the aftermath of the murder,
28:20it's incredibly revealing
28:21about their motives.
28:24Emergency services
28:25arrived at the flat
28:27just eight minutes later.
28:29Danes calmly directed them
28:31to the bedroom
28:31where they found young Breck,
28:33his throat severely lured.
28:36Attempts were made
28:37to resuscitate,
28:38but he was pronounced dead
28:40at 12.02pm.
28:42His family had no idea.
28:44I got home
28:45and then there were
28:46two police cars
28:47outside the house
28:48and I just thought
28:49it was a bit weird
28:50because it's a really
28:50quiet road.
28:53I get a phone call
28:54from Chloe
28:54and she says,
28:56you need to come home,
28:57the police are at the house.
28:59We go in the house
29:01and there's just a weird mood
29:03in the house,
29:03like there's definitely
29:04something off.
29:08Police didn't want
29:09to discuss the situation
29:11with Breck's 12-year-old siblings.
29:13It was an anxious wait
29:15for them at their home
29:16in Surrey
29:16as dad Barry Bednar
29:18raced home
29:19from his office
29:20in London.
29:22An hour later,
29:22my dad gets home.
29:24I hear the front door slam
29:25and I hear my dad come in.
29:27Then I hear yelling.
29:30My dad sounded like
29:31he was in pain.
29:35It was pretty quick
29:36after that
29:36that I got the worst
29:37phone call
29:38any parent could
29:39ever get
29:40in their entire life.
29:42Eventually,
29:43my dad comes
29:44into the living room
29:45where we've been kept
29:46for so long
29:47and sits on the couch
29:49next to us
29:50with bloodshot eyes
29:53and he tells us
29:54that Breck is dead.
29:56We all just broke down
30:01in tears
30:02as a family.
30:04Honestly,
30:05from that moment
30:05that would change us
30:07forever
30:08just to even
30:10have something
30:11that horrific
30:12come over our life
30:15and
30:15come and snatch Breck away.
30:19I was just
30:20heartbroken.
30:21You can't
30:26be yourself.
30:28You can't
30:28be happy.
30:30You can't
30:30feel right
30:32when there's
30:33something,
30:34someone
30:34so important
30:36to you
30:36missing
30:37in such
30:39horrendous
30:40circumstances.
30:43Unbelievably,
30:44a full hour
30:45before the
30:46999 call,
30:48Danes had
30:48divulged
30:49the news
30:49of Breck's
30:50death
30:50to his
30:51online
30:52gaming
30:52community.
30:54Lewis had
30:55sent two
30:56emails
30:56out
30:57to friends
30:58within the
30:59gaming
30:59community
31:00admitting
31:01what he'd
31:01done
31:02and sent
31:03the photographs
31:03of Breck
31:04with his
31:05throat cut.
31:08This really
31:09does speak
31:09volumes about
31:10Danes.
31:11He wants
31:11recognition,
31:13essentially,
31:13of what he's
31:14just done.
31:17And I was
31:18getting floods
31:19and floods
31:19of messages
31:20on Instagram
31:21saying,
31:22oh,
31:22I'm so sorry.
31:23Like,
31:24oh,
31:24that's so sad.
31:25So everyone
31:25in my school
31:26found out
31:27immediately.
31:32Danes was
31:33arrested at
31:34his flat
31:34and taken to
31:35Gray's police
31:36station in
31:37Essex.
31:40Immediately,
31:41I was told
31:42that it was
31:42him and that
31:44it was,
31:45supposedly,
31:46he was
31:47saying a
31:47horrible
31:47accident.
31:50Breck came
31:50after him.
31:51Breck was
31:52never aggressive
31:53or violent,
31:55so we knew
31:55that wasn't
31:56true.
31:59Danes thinks
32:00he's smarter
32:01than everybody
32:02else.
32:02He thinks
32:03he's covered
32:03his tracks
32:04significantly.
32:05He thinks
32:05the story
32:06that he's told
32:07is going
32:07to be a
32:07convincing
32:08one.
32:08He's charged
32:11for the
32:11murder,
32:12but then
32:12insists he's
32:13going to
32:13plead not
32:14guilty.
32:15We can
32:15say for
32:16sure that
32:17Danes'
32:17decision was
32:18to increase
32:19the emotional
32:19pressure on
32:21Breck's
32:21family.
32:22It was
32:22the last
32:23awful
32:24strike against
32:26them.
32:28Only Danes
32:30knew what
32:30happened at
32:31that flat
32:32in Essex
32:32on the
32:33morning of
32:33the 17th
32:34of February
32:352014.
32:37He held
32:37all the
32:38power and
32:39he wasn't
32:40ready to
32:40give it
32:40up yet.
32:50In
32:50February
32:512014,
32:53Louis Danes
32:54was arrested
32:55and charged
32:55for the
32:56murder of
32:5614-year-old
32:57Breck Bednar
32:58after grooming
32:59the teenager
33:00online for
33:01more than
33:0212 months.
33:03He'd
33:04confessed to
33:05slashing
33:05Breck's throat
33:06in self-defense
33:07having lured
33:08him to
33:09his home
33:09in Greys
33:10in Essex
33:10but was
33:11planning on
33:12pleading
33:12not guilty.
33:14Cybercrime
33:15investigator
33:16Clifton
33:16Pell
33:17attended the
33:18crime scene.
33:19It would
33:20be his job
33:20to help
33:21prosecutors prove
33:22it was
33:23murder and
33:24not manslaughter.
33:25Your initial
33:27thoughts are
33:28that when
33:28you're at the
33:29scene, if
33:29any devices
33:30are on,
33:31then you
33:31want to be
33:32then preserving
33:32what's on
33:33those devices
33:34while they're
33:35running.
33:36In search
33:36of such
33:37evidence,
33:38Clifton
33:38made a
33:39sweep
33:39of the
33:40flat.
33:41I walked
33:41into the
33:42bedroom,
33:42pushed the
33:42door,
33:43and unfortunately
33:44Breck was
33:45laying there.
33:47My eyes were
33:48drawn straightway
33:49to the bed
33:49as well because
33:50there was a
33:51laptop on
33:52there.
33:53Clifton
33:54and his
33:54team of
33:55investigators
33:55had to
33:56establish a
33:57link between
33:58the two
33:58boys using
33:59data from
34:00the evidence
34:01found at
34:01Daines'
34:02flat, but
34:03he'd
34:03attempted to
34:04cover his
34:05tracks.
34:07Within the
34:08bathroom, there
34:09was a sink
34:10filled with
34:11water.
34:11There were, I
34:12think, I
34:13believe, three
34:13mobile phones
34:14in there.
34:15There was
34:15like a
34:15motherboard out
34:16of a
34:16computer, and
34:18there was two
34:18USB hard
34:20drives.
34:21One of those
34:21had a score
34:23mark across
34:24one of the
34:24chips, so it
34:25looked like
34:26that there
34:27was some
34:27attempt to
34:28try and
34:28destroy
34:29evidence.
34:30Despite
34:32Daines'
34:32attempt to
34:33hinder the
34:33investigation,
34:35Clifton and
34:36the team seized
34:37a considerable
34:37amount of
34:38digital evidence.
34:40It stands
34:41out as
34:41something which
34:42was a
34:43watershed, I
34:44think, for
34:45policing in
34:46terms of the
34:48amount of data
34:49that you have
34:49to start
34:50dealing with
34:51within a
34:51case.
34:52For instance,
34:53one gigabyte
34:54of data is
34:55the equivalent
34:55to 1,800
34:56paperbacks, or
34:58would take
34:5875 days to
35:00read-through.
35:01So you can
35:02imagine this
35:02to how much
35:03data in 15
35:04terabytes that
35:05was seized.
35:06Armed with
35:07Clifton's
35:07evidence, it
35:08would be up to
35:09prosecuting
35:10counsel Richard
35:11Whittam to
35:12prove in court
35:13that Daines
35:14murdered
35:14Breck.
35:15In serious
35:16investigations,
35:17you try and
35:17establish a
35:18chronology.
35:19That often gives
35:20you clues to
35:20what happened.
35:21The taxi had
35:22arrived at about
35:23quarter to
35:24eight in the
35:24morning, being
35:25paid for by
35:26Lewis Daines.
35:27The order
35:28was made for
35:29Breck to be
35:30picked up further
35:31down the road
35:31from his
35:32actual address.
35:33We know that
35:34Breck's phone
35:35was last used
35:37around about
35:37midday.
35:39From other
35:40records, we
35:41could show that
35:42around six o'clock
35:43in the evening, a
35:43pizza had been
35:44ordered and
35:45delivered, but
35:46what had happened
35:47between those
35:47times, we don't
35:48know, and we
35:49don't know what
35:50happened after
35:51the pizza arrived.
35:52But the pizza
35:53wasn't the only
35:55order that
35:56Danes had
35:56placed.
35:57There was also
35:58an order on
36:00Amazon which
36:01was for duct
36:03tape and
36:04some condoms.
36:07It's a very
36:07unusual purchase
36:08to see in
36:09anybody's shopping
36:11basket on
36:11Amazon, but
36:13this, quite
36:13honestly, was
36:14very helpful in
36:16terms of the
36:16investigation because
36:18to order duct
36:19tape and
36:20condoms in the
36:21same order just
36:22fitted in with
36:24possibly the
36:25motivation for
36:27this murder.
36:29Bloodstained
36:30duct tape and
36:31clothes belonging
36:32to Breck were
36:33recovered from the
36:34crime scene.
36:35This physical
36:36evidence suggested
36:37a sexual motive
36:38behind the
36:39grooming.
36:41One of the
36:42most striking
36:43things about the
36:44case was, of
36:45course, the
36:45fact that clearly
36:46Breck Bednar had
36:48been restrained
36:49with duct tape
36:50around his feet
36:51and around his
36:52wrists.
36:55The clothes that
36:56were ultimately
36:56recovered by the
36:57police had been
36:58cut off his
36:58body.
36:59They had blood
37:00on them.
37:00They also had
37:01semen on them.
37:03It was down to
37:04us to prove that
37:06he had lured
37:07Breck to that
37:08address to
37:10commit an
37:11offence and
37:12it was down to
37:13us to prove that
37:14this was a
37:15sexually motivated
37:16murder.
37:16murder.
37:17As the trial
37:19approached, Breck's
37:20family were
37:21distraught that
37:21their son's killer
37:22was seemingly
37:23attempting to get
37:25away with murder.
37:27They obviously
37:28couldn't understand
37:30how Louis Danes
37:31could be pleading
37:32not guilty.
37:33It's almost
37:34impossible, isn't
37:35it, really, to put
37:36yourself in the
37:37place of a parent
37:39who's been
37:39pre-deceased by
37:40their child in a
37:42murder in these
37:43circumstances.
37:43My mom, like,
37:46kind of shut
37:47down for a
37:47couple of years.
37:48I don't blame
37:49her.
37:50I would have
37:50done the same.
37:51And it was just
37:52really sad to see
37:53her that she'd
37:54almost died inside
37:55and we couldn't
37:56do anything to
37:57help her, so we
37:58sort of lost her
37:59as a mom in
38:00that kind of
38:00period.
38:01And I felt
38:02bad because there
38:02wasn't anything
38:03we could do.
38:08The trial was
38:09set at
38:10Chelmsford Crown
38:11Court on the
38:1225th of November
38:132014.
38:17One's always
38:18cautious about
38:18a young
38:19defendant.
38:20He was saying
38:21he was pleading
38:21not guilty to
38:23the offence.
38:24It was going
38:24to be portraying
38:25the fact of
38:26self-defence as
38:27it had been
38:28raised as far
38:28as you could
38:29see it.
38:30Breck's parents
38:31attended with
38:32their supporters
38:32expecting there
38:33to be a trial.
38:35The court was
38:35ready to swear
38:36a jury and I
38:37was ready to
38:38open the case.
38:40And it was
38:40only on that
38:41morning that a
38:43request was
38:43made for more
38:44time for
38:45Louis Danes
38:46to consider
38:47his position.
38:50After nine
38:51months of
38:52preparation,
38:53to everyone's
38:53surprise,
38:54Danes changed
38:56his plea.
38:57He pled guilty,
38:59which I was
38:59really happy about
39:00because then my
39:01mom wouldn't have
39:02to sit through
39:02the trauma
39:03of the trial.
39:07But it wasn't
39:09over yet.
39:10Prosecutors still
39:11had to prove
39:12that Danes'
39:13motivation was
39:14sadistic or
39:15sexual in nature
39:16so as to
39:17increase the
39:17minimum term
39:18he would serve.
39:22Despite the fact
39:23Louis Danes
39:23pleaded guilty
39:24to murder,
39:25there had to be,
39:26if I describe it,
39:27as a short,
39:27mini-trial because
39:29he was not
39:30accepting that
39:30the murder was
39:31in sexual
39:32or sadistic
39:33circumstances.
39:35Being under 21,
39:36the law does not
39:38allow a whole
39:38life term,
39:40but it does
39:41increase the
39:42minimum term
39:43that you have
39:44to serve.
39:45He didn't flinch
39:47at all in that
39:48court.
39:49He didn't seem
39:50to have any
39:51recognition as to
39:54what damage
39:55he'd done.
39:58The evidence
39:59was really
40:00in two categories.
40:02The restraints
40:03had some blood
40:04on them
40:04that showed
40:05that there must
40:06have been some
40:07bleeding at the
40:07time the restraints
40:08were put on.
40:09Clothes cut off
40:11and significantly,
40:13the box of condoms
40:14had been out
40:16at some point
40:17during the event
40:18at blood,
40:19spatter blood found
40:20on top,
40:22and that showed
40:22a rather sadistic
40:23element to the killing.
40:26The sexual element,
40:27perhaps rather easier
40:28to prove,
40:29semen recovered
40:30on exhibits.
40:31The sentencing judge
40:32makes a determination.
40:34She had no doubt
40:35at all
40:36that the killing
40:37was one
40:38in sexual
40:39and or sadistic
40:40circumstances.
40:42On January
40:43the 12th,
40:442015,
40:45at Chelmsford Crown
40:46Court,
40:47Danes was sentenced
40:48to life in prison
40:50with a minimum
40:51term of 25 years.
40:53He got sentenced
40:54when he was, like, 19,
40:55so he'll be out
40:56when he's mid-40s,
40:57and he has plenty
40:59more room
41:00to do damage,
41:01and he can change
41:02his name,
41:03change his identity,
41:04and do who knows what.
41:06My dad being from Texas,
41:08and they have
41:09the death penalty there,
41:10I was very disappointed.
41:11I was like,
41:12oh, if only we were in Texas
41:13and he could have
41:14got the death penalty,
41:15I would have been
41:16quite happy with that.
41:18Breck was murdered
41:20on his mother's birthday.
41:22I still can't believe
41:23when I wake up
41:24and think, you know,
41:25I don't have my son
41:26here to celebrate with.
41:28There's not a day
41:29that doesn't go by
41:29that I don't regret
41:31that I didn't know
41:32how to do more,
41:34and that I can't go back
41:35and change
41:37one little thing,
41:38you know,
41:39to uncover
41:40who this person
41:41really was
41:41to finally convince Breck
41:44that he wasn't
41:44who he said he was.
41:46And it breaks my heart
41:48that Breck was lured
41:49to this Predators' flat,
41:51thinking that
41:51they were going to game
41:53and talk about business
41:54and work
41:55and opportunities,
41:56but it just shows
41:57the power
41:58that Predators can have.
42:00Lauren has found
42:02a way of remembering
42:03her son
42:03and helping other teens
42:05in his position.
42:07That's why I started
42:08the Breck Foundation,
42:09is I want people
42:10to learn from this,
42:12and I want everyone
42:14to understand more
42:15about the science
42:15of grooming
42:16so they can not only
42:18save their own children,
42:19but just stop the Predators
42:20from grooming at all.
42:25They will always find children
42:27who make mistakes
42:28because it's human nature.
42:30We love to be complimented.
42:31We love to be looked after.
42:33We love to be, you know,
42:34taught interesting things.
42:37I just think the power
42:38that they have
42:39over our children online
42:40is frightening.
42:42My mum is the most
42:43powerful woman that I know.
42:46She's so strong.
42:47I saw the way
42:48that she felt her grief.
42:51Her grief was rough.
42:54The way that it hits a mother
42:56when she loses a child.
42:59I've never seen pain
43:00like that before.
43:01and then she gets up
43:04and she starts a charity
43:06and she really has
43:09done so much good.
43:11It's amazing.
43:13She's made such a difference.
43:15It's about educating,
43:17but it's also about
43:18having everyone do their bit.
43:20No matter how much
43:21parents educate,
43:22if we don't have the support
43:23of the tech companies
43:25and the police
43:26and media,
43:27thank goodness,
43:28to help talk about
43:29these stories,
43:30then we're never going to have
43:31a safe enough environment
43:32for our children.
43:34Lauren and her family
43:35are finding solace
43:37in the Breck Foundation,
43:39but the scars remain.
43:41I couldn't imagine
43:42that someone so young
43:44would be so cunning
43:45and manipulative
43:46to be able to do that
43:47to a young child.
43:48I just think he's
43:50the most disgusting
43:50human being.
43:53Louis Daines' malevolence
43:54and his desire
43:56to control Breck Bednar
43:58is truly horrifying.
44:01It is an act of wickedness
44:02that is impossible to forgive,
44:05an act of such brutality
44:07and depravity
44:08that it takes my breath away.
44:13Louis Daines was incapable
44:16of living in the real world
44:18and created
44:19a fantasy one online.
44:22He used a web of lies
44:25to lure Breck Bednar
44:27to his house
44:27before savagely ending
44:29the life
44:30of the defenseless boy.
44:33We may never know
44:35why Louis Daines
44:37chose to kill Breck,
44:39but the callous murder
44:40will forever make him
44:42one of Britain's
44:43most evil killers.
44:48in the real world.
44:49We may never know
44:50what the hell is
44:50in the real world.
44:52We may never know
44:52if we have one of them
44:53until the end of the world
44:54is to kill Breck.
44:54We may never know
44:55in the real world
44:56or in the real world
44:57or in the real world
44:58but the only one that is
44:59in the real world
44:59is to kill Breck.
45:00Transcription by CastingWords