Alex Rodda: Last News

A new documentary exploring the murder of Alex Rodda airs on ITV tonight.

"I said whatever you do Alex don't go."

jail term reduced. Matthew Mason, 20, was convicted for the brutal killing of Alex Rodda in January 2021 following a trial, reports Manchester Evening News.

direct to your inboxA teenager has been found guilty of the murder of schoolboy Alex Rodda.Jurors at Chester Crown Court found Matthew Mason, 19, who had denied the charge, guilty after nine hours and 31 minutes of deliberation by a 10-2 majority.The trial heard Mason, of Ash Farm in Ollerton, Knutsford, had been having underage sex with the 15-year-old in the months leading up to his death, and then killed him to prevent being exposed.Mason had paid Alex, who lived in Pickmere, near Knutsford, more than £2,000 over a three week period, in an attempt to stop his secret coming out.Then, on December 12, 2019, Mason picked up Alex from outside his house and drove him to a secluded woodland area outside Ashley, near Altrincham, prosecutor Ian

direct to your inboxA jury was told how Alex Rodda's 'life was cut short before it had really begun' as prosecution and defence lawyers delivered their closing speeches in a trial today.Matthew Mason, 19, is charged with beating the schoolboy to death with a large metal tool in a woodland area near the village of Ashley, Cheshire, on December 12 last year.Mr Mason, then 18, murdered the 15-year-old after they entered into a sexual relationship, the prosecution alleges.He paid Alex more than £2,000 over a three-week period after Alex allegedly threatened to reveal the relationship, jurors have been told.Mr Mason ‘didn’t want anyone to know he was gay’, the jury has already heard.Mr Gordon Cole QC, Mr Mason’s lawyer, earlier told the court

A judge has addressed the jury in the final day of a trial of a man accused of murdering a 15-year-old schoolboy.

direct to your inboxA judge has addressed the jury in the final day of a trial of a young man accused of murdering Alex Rodda.Matthew Mason, 19, is charged with beating the schoolboy to death with a large metal tool in a woodland area near the village of Ashley, Cheshire, on December 12 last year.Mr Mason, then 18, murdered the 15-year-old after they entered into a sexual relationship, the Crown alleges.He paid Alex more than £2,000 over a three-week period after Alex allegedly threatened to reveal the relationship, jurors have been told.Mr Mason ‘didn’t want anyone to know he was gay’, the jury has already heard.Mr Gordon Cole QC, Mr Mason’s lawyer, earlier told the court that his client arranged a rendezvous with Alex to tell him the

direct to your inboxA teenager accused of murdering a schoolboy told a jury he felt 'ashamed' at the 'pain' he had caused, adding: "The killing... I’ll never forget that."Matthew Mason, 19, is on trial at Chester Crown Court.He admits killing 15-year-old Alex Rodda in woodland in Ashley, Cheshire, on December 12 last year, but denies murder.The jury has heard Mr Mason paid the Holmes Chapel High School pupil more than £2,000 over a three-week period.

direct to your inboxThe young man accused of murdering a schoolboy wept in the witness box as he told a jury: "I still accept my actions caused the death of Alex Rodda."Matthew Mason, 19, also told jurors Alex was still breathing when he left him in the woods after hitting him over the head with a spanner during a scuffle.The teenager said he threw the 15-year-old's phone out of his car having driven away from the scene, but returned 'mainly to move him' after realising he had died.Mr Mason is accused of murdering Alex.The prosecution has previously told the murder trial at Chester Crown Court Mr Mason beat Alex to death with the large metal tool in a wooded area near the village of Ashley, Cheshire, on December 13 last year.Mr Mason, then

A teenager has told a court he killed a schoolboy after he threatened to "ruin" his life by revealing their sexual relationship.

direct to your inboxThe ex-girlfriend of the alleged murderer of Alex Rodda said he 'confessed' to killing him in a prison visit, a jury was told.Matthew Mason, aged 19, is charged with the murder of the schoolboy, whose body was found in woodland near the village of Ashley, in Cheshire, on December 13 last year.A trial at Chester Crown Court has previously heard how Mr Mason, then 18, allegedly murdered the 15-year-old because he ‘didn’t want anyone to know he was gay’.Prosecutors initially told the trial that Mr Mason would pay Alex for sex, and that more than £2,000 had been paid to him over a three-week period after the teen allegedly threatened to reveal their relationship.The Crown claims that Mr Mason beat Alex to death using a large

direct to your inboxAlex Rodda was a gregarious, openly gay schoolboy of 15 whose short life ended violently in Cheshire woodland a year ago.Jurors in a trial which opened this week have been told by prosecutors that he was beaten to death by a young farmer, Matthew Mason.Mr Mason is said to have been fearful of his sexual 'relationship' with Alex - and his sexual orientation - being made public.In the first week of the trial jurors heard shocking details of Alex's death and how events unravelled in the days and weeks before his body was discovered.The younger boy, the court has heard, was bludgeoned with a wrench near the village of Ashley during the night of December 12, 2019, and his battered semi-naked body found by refuse collectors

direct to your inboxA schoolboy found dead in the woods had been given 'hush money' by the young man accused of murdering him to keep their sexual relationship secret - and 'saw it as a game', a jury has heard.Matthew Mason, 19, beat Alex Rodda to death with a large metal wrench in Ashley, Cheshire, on December 12 last year, prosecutors have said.The Crown claims Mr Mason, who was 18 at the time, killed Alex because he was being blackmailed after paying him for sex.Prosecutors allege Mr Mason continued to pay Alex in a bid to keep the relationship a secret.Payments of more than £2,000 were made, jurors have previously heard.Mr Mason denies murder.Gordon Cole QC, defending, has told jurors they will have to consider whether the killing was

direct to your inboxThe mother of a schoolboy found dead in remote woodland told a jury of the moment she looked into the 'soulless' eyes of the young man accused of murdering her son as he stood in her home days earlier.Alex Rodda, 15, was beaten to death with a large metal wrench in Ashley, Cheshire, on December 12 last year, prosecutors have told jurors.Matthew Mason, who was 18 at the time of the incident, denies murdering the teenager.Mr Mason, now 19, killed Alex because he was being 'blackmailed', the prosecution claims.He was paying his victim for sex, but didn't want anyone to find out about their relationship, according to the Crown.Payments of more than £2,000 were made to Alex by Mr Mason, jurors have previously heard.Gordon

direct to your inboxA teenager accused of murdering a schoolboy he 'paid to have sex with' didn't want anyone to know he was gay 'because he was in the Young Farmers', a jury heard as a police interview with a friend of the deceased was played in court.Matthew Mason, then 18, lured Alex Rodda to a remote woodland near the rural village of Ashley in Cheshire before beating him to death with a metal wrench in December last year, prosecutors allege.Mr Mason, now 19, killed the 15-year-old because he was being 'blackmailed', the prosecution claims.He was paying his victim for sex, but didn't want anyone to find out about their relationship, according to the Crown.On the third day of a trial at Chester Crown Court, jurors were played an

direct to your inboxA teenager lured his schoolboy lover to remote woodland with the promise of sex and bludgeoned him to death with a wrench, a murder trial was told today.Matthew Mason, an apprentice mechanic then aged 18, is said to have paid his 15-year-old victim, Alex Rodda, more than £2,000 over a three-week period following an alleged threat by his victim to reveal their relationship.Alex was said to have revealed he would report his lover to police if the payments stopped.He was warned this was ‘akin to blackmail’, a jury was told.Mr Mason drove Alex to remote woodland and inflicted at least 15 blows with a long wrench, a court heardAlex Rodda’s semi-naked body was found dead near the Cheshire village of Ashley, near Hale Barns, on