A MOTHER whose son was murdered by an online predator has spoken out about the importance of raising awareness about the dangers of the internet.

Lorin LaFave is backing production of the film Breck’s Last Game after son Breck Bednar was murdered by Lewis Daynes after meeting him online.

In the days after his death, his family shared a touching tribute, describing him as “a kind, intelligent, thoughtful boy with a good sense of humour”

He was “a dedicated student at St Bede’s School in Redhill and extremely gifted in computing, electronics, and engineering”.

The horrific killing prompted Lorin to launch the Breck Bednar Foundation to help support and promote work to raise awareness about online grooming.

Speaking at the launch of the film, Ms LaFave, said: “Breck’s story shows how easily grooming can happen.

“He met the predator through an online friendship group and would have been flattered to have an intelligent, older mentor helping him expand his gaming skills.

“At the time, I believed the offender was older than he was because he was so controlling and manipulative, even with me, so it’s important for young people to realise not only can predators lie about their age, where they live or who they are online, they can also be a similar age to the victim.

“They are not always the stereotypical ‘creepy old guy’.

“It’s so important for us to raise awareness boys can be groomed too.

“His version wasn’t the ‘typical’ type of grooming people had heard about in the news.

“His story shows even regular school boys can make mistakes if they aren’t educated to recognise the signs of grooming and exploitation.

“I hope, through Breck’s Last Game, young people will take on the real life lessons from Breck’s story so they are able to look after each other, keep safe, and reach their full potentials.

“Our intention is to educate young people so they are empowered to make safer choices for themselves online.”

This year the Breck Bednar Foundation has launched a campaign called No Tech for Breck 2018.

The initiative aims to encourage youngsters to engage with real life activities and relationships, reminding them of the difference between real-life friends and the people they meet online who may not always be who they say they are.