Man who killed 15 year old Kayleigh Haywood found dead

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE
Stephen Beadman was also convicted of falsely imprisoning Kayleigh Haywood Credit: Leicestershire Police

The man who raped and killed 15 year-old schoolgirl Kayleigh Haywood has died in prison.

Stephen Beadman, 34, from Ibstock, was serving a life term in Wakefield Prison for killing Kayleigh in November 2015.

It took place as the teenager had tried to run away from him and another man who had groomed her over a two-week period online. Luke Harlow, 23, who groomed the youngster, received a 12 year sentence.

Kayleigh was raped and killed by landscape gardener Stephen Beadman after being sent thousands of messages for two weeks by Luke Harlow. Credit: Leicestershire Police

The cause or the circumstances of Beadman's death has not yet been revealed.

The Ministry of Justice has issued a statement stating that he died in hospital on Thursday 8 April.

What happened to Kayleigh?

15 year old Kayleigh, from Measham in Leicestershire, was murdered after chatting to a stranger online before taking the decision to meet up with him.Over a period of 13 days she was groomed by Luke Harlow, 23, who exchanged 2,643 text messages with the youngster.Kayleigh had spent the night at his flat in Ibstock on November 13 2015.

Beadman (Left) was jailed for life and Luke Harlow (Right) jailed for 12 years for grooming the schoolgirl Credit: Leicestershire Police

The following day, Harlow’s next door neighbour Beadman, then 28, arrived and the pair gave her alcohol.She was sexually assaulted by Harlow before trying to flee, at which point she was chased by Beadman, who raped and murdered the schoolgirl with a brick. They then dumped her body in a farmer’s field. Kayleigh's body was found five days later on the outskirts of the village. Her body had to be identified using dental records.

WATCH: Leicestershire Police film about Kayleigh's last days before she was murdered

What has been the impact of Kayleigh's death?

'Kayleigh's Love Story', a film produced by Leicestershire Police to deter children and young people from falling victim to online sexual abuse and exploitation, was shown to pupils in schools in Leicestershire and Rutland, and then across the UK.

Kayleigh's story has helped thousands of school children across the country learn about the dangers of social media. Credit: Leicestershire Police

It was later released to the public and has been placed in the National Film Archive due to its significance. It's so far had 3.7 million views on Youtube and won 8 national awards.