Notes

Breck Bednar Friend: 'Murderer Told me he'd Killed Him'

Breck Bednar friend: 'Murderer told me he'd killed him'



22 January 2016



Breck Bednar's friend claims that the killer reached him on the internet shortly after his death.



Tom tells Newsbeat that initially, Tom was shocked and thought it was a joke that was in poor taste.



It was not a joke. Lewis Daynes, a 14-year-old Breck murder victim is currently serving a life sentence.



After spending months playing online games and talking to Breck, Daynes lured Breck into his Essex flat in February 2014. He then stabbed him to death.



The perpetrator initially tried to pass it off as an accident.
online games


"He said that Breck was suicidal, depressed and confiding in himself, which is why they showed up. He also claimed that he tried to stop Breck's self-harming, but ultimately died in a way that was completely absurd.



"This was around 10 am in the morning. I think he actually spoke to me prior to calling the police, from what I know.



"I said, "This is a joke. It's not funny." Then I said, "Well, you need to call the police in case it is an accident - and also the ambulance. He said, 'Yeah yeah I'll do that.'"



Daynes did phone 999. He told the operator: "My friend, I got into an altercation, and I am the only one who made it out alive."



Breck's friends and family are now telling their story in the BBC Three documentary, Murder Games.



Daynes hosted the Minecraft server that Tom and Breck's friends, Matt, used to play on.



They claim Daynes didn't sound any alarm bells at that time.



"I was introduced to Lewis through Breck and so, because you're being introduced to someone you've known in real life, your guard instantly drops," Tom explains.



"You don't even bother to question it, you just assume they’re an okay person."



Matt says, "I think we thought of him as an example to follow." "I often spoke to Lewis about IT certifications, what I could do if I decided to leave college."



His mother noticed an alteration in Breck's behavior and began to worry about Daynes' influence.



She complained regarding grooming to Surrey Police but they didn't take any action.



An investigation conducted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission found in November that the call handler and their supervisor lacked the knowledge to deal with grooming reports.



"The aspect about Lewis is that Lewis wasn't the most direct in his grooming. He was, I think, patient," says Tom.



"You didn't anticipate it, it was subtle, different from what you're taught like direct-like "send me my pictures" and other things like that."



Daynes, an engineer in computer science who is now 20 offered Breck an opportunity and assistance to upgrade his computer.



Tom recalls, "He didn’t even ask me for my first name, I never asked him where I lived, just nothing real."



"He seemed like a really genuine person during the gaming. We shared lots of laughs together.



"I believe I was a bit more naive when I was younger but now that I look back, I'd say I didn't have any alarms that were ringing in my head."



Matt says he doesn't think that he'll ever be able to move on from the events of the past.



"The times that I was at the lowest were mainly at school where a class would be totally quiet.



"I would sit in my office doing my work, and my mind would wander off. This would happen for the entire year.



"The only way I was able escape it was when I had my friends around."



"I am still unable to comprehend why you would wait for so long and become good acquaintances with someone, particularly Breck only to kill them and then try to harm them."



Murder Games: The Life and Death of Breck Bednar airs on BBC Three on Tuesday 26 January at 9pm.



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