Barnardo’s urges UK screening of Kayleigh film

The charity wants widespread viewing

CHILDREN’S charity Barnardo’s is urging secondary schools across the UK to show Leicestershire Police’s film about murdered school Kayleigh Haywood.

The five-minute film, titled Kayleigh’s Love Story, depicts how the 15-year-old was groomed, raped and murdered and is already being shown in schools and public places across Leicestershire.

However, the force is trying to make it so all children over 11 see the film to warn them about the dangers of online grooming, something the charity echoes.

Javed Khan, Barnardo’s chief executive, said: “This is a distressing film about the consequences of speaking to and meeting strangers online.

“Every child and young person needs to learn from Kayleigh’s story to prevent this tragedy from every happening again.”

Last November, Kayleigh was groomed online by 28-year-old Luke Harlow, who sent her more than 100 messages a day over the course of 13 days, before she finally agreed to spend the night at his house.

The schoolgirl, from Measham, was then held against her will by Harlow and his neighbour Stephen Beadman, before being raped and murdered by the latter.

In July Beadman was jailed for life with a minimum of 35 years, while Harlow was jailed for 12.

Roger Bannister, deputy chief constable of Leicestershire Police, said: “Kayleigh’s Love Story highlights to young people the real dangers of speaking to people they don’t know online.

“With social media and online gaming platforms playing an ever-increasing part of their life this warning is relevant to not only children in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland but across the UK and the world too.

“I hope Barnardo’s support of Kayleigh’s Love Story will raise greater awareness of the film and help encourage every secondary school in the country to show it to their pupils.”

The film was also recently shortlisted as a finalist in the social screen category of the Clarion Awards run by EVCOM - the so-called Oscars of specialist videos produced by the corporate and charity sectors.

The film will not be made publicly available online until January next year, although a trailer is available to watch.

To watch the trailer, or to find out where public screenings are taking place in Leicestershire visit leics.police.uk