Breck Bednar, 14, was stabbed to death by Lewis Daynes, now 20, who had been grooming him for months as they played computer games online.
%image(14818183, type="article-full", alt="Child Sexual Exploitation Conference held in Norwich. Pictured: Lorin LaFave, founder of the Breck Foundation, who was a speaker at the conference. Picture: Mustard")
He used his knowledge to exploit his victim's dreams of working in computing while they joined in multi-player games including Call of Duty and Battlefield.
Breck's mother Lorin LaFave hopes her son's death, in February 2014, will serve as a stark warning to other youngsters who are at risk from similar online predators.
Ms LaFave, who has set up the Breck Foundation in her son's memory to encourage youngsters to play and socialise safely online, was a key speaker at a Child Sexual Exploitation Conference (CSE) held in Norwich yesterday.
The mother-of-four said: 'You never think it would happen to you.
%image(14818184, type="article-full", alt="Undated handout file photo issued by Essex Police of Breck Bednar, as a police force has settled a legal claim and "unreservedly apologised" to the parents of the 14-year-old boy who was murdered by another teenager after he was groomed through online gaming. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Sunday March 13, 2016. Barry Bednar and Lorin LaFave sought damages against Surrey Police for failing to protect their son Breck Bednar after the force did not respond properly to a call Ms LaFave made about her concerns. See PA story POLICE Daynes. Photo credit should read: Essex Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.")
'Breck in my eyes was perfect. He had so much potential but was just controlled and manipulated and was taken too soon.
'Breck was so loved and had the world ahead of him but because it happened to him it could happen to anyone.'
Described by police as a 'cruel, manipulative person', Daynes, who was last year jailed for life for murder, had spent months building up online relationships with teenage boys, including Breck who lived with his mother and siblings in Surrey.
Ms LaFave recognised young people enjoyed technology but said it was important for them to be aware that friends made online are not like real friends.
She said: 'I wish there was some way we could show the other side of the predator is like as they are not all ugly and scary.
'Grooming can take so many forms but that's what our goal is - to try and make sure it doesn't happen to any other child.'
Ms LaFave said online safety education should start in schools and then be reinforced at home by parents who talk openly with their children about technology and the risks that exist by using real-life examples, including Breck's.
• Anyone with concerns about child sexual exploitation can contact the police on 101. In an emergency always dial 999.
• Information can be passed anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.
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