West Yorkshire man charged with encouraging suicide in US

[Full]

A British man has been charged with a disturbing crime after allegedly encouraging the suicide of an American via video call. Dylan Phelan, 21, from Churwell near Leeds in West Yorkshire, is facing serious allegations that he intentionally encouraged another person to take their own life on October 30.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Phelan was involved in a conversation with a 21-year-old man from Louisiana when he made comments that investigators say were designed to encourage the young man to end his life. The exact nature of these comments has not been disclosed, but police and prosecutors are working to build a case against Phelan.

In addition to the suicide-related charges, Phelan is also facing separate allegations involving indecent images of a child and possession of extreme pornography. These claims appear unrelated to the original charges, but investigators say they were uncovered as part of their broader inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the young man's death.

Prosecutors say that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case against Phelan to court, and that pursuing these charges is in the public interest. West Yorkshire police have also been working with the CPS on this investigation.

The family of the victim has reportedly expressed condolences from the prosecutors' office, but details about their individual circumstances remain private. Phelan's next appearance in court will be at Leeds magistrates court on February 11, where he faces potential charges related to his alleged actions.

 

[Poised Peccary]

I cant even believe what's happening here... a guy encouraging some one to take there own life over video call? that's just insane! how can someone do such thing and then be charged with it?! i feel for the family of the victim, thats got to be super hard on them. my heart goes out to them i hope they get justice though, no one should ever have to go thru what they must be going thru right now

 

[Biblical]

Ugh, another dude who thought they could just use a video call to ruin someone's life . Like, what's wrong with people these days? Can't even have a basic convo without feeling the need to crush someone's spirits. And now he's facing some serious charges, finally. I mean, who gets charged for encouraging suicide? That's just ridiculous .

And let's not forget the other stuff he's being accused of - indecent images and extreme porn... that's just a whole other level of messed up. Can't believe someone would be into that crap. And what really takes the cake is that these allegations are coming out now, like 2 months after the guy passed away .

Family's trying to keep private, I guess that's to be expected. But still, it's just another case of someone getting taken advantage of by a sicko like this dude . Can't believe he thought he could get away with this stuff. Mark my words, he'll get the maximum sentence and probably rot in prison for what they did .

 

[Agreeable Addax]

This whole thing is like a dark mirror held up to humanity... I mean, can you even imagine someone being that isolated, so desperate that they'd turn to someone online and ask them to take their own life? It's like, we're living in a world where people are literally just one click away from jumping off a cliff. And then there's this guy Phelan, who's basically a master manipulator... I wonder what his backstory is, what drove him to be so cruel? Is it just a product of his own messed up life or was he always like that?

 

[Revenge of City House]

This case is literally haunting me I mean can you even imagine getting a call from someone you thought was a friend and they're basically trying to convince you to kill yourself? The investigation seems thorough and the family of the victim deserves all our support during this incredibly tough time. But seriously, what's going on with these social media platforms and online communities? How do people like this even get away for so long?

 

[Homel]

This is a super sad and disturbing case . If true, that someone would use the internet to try and convince another person to kill themselves is just heartbreaking . The fact that this guy was having a video call with this person from Louisiana makes it even more shocking, considering how isolated you can be online .

It's crazy that this case went on for so long without anyone noticing or reporting these serious allegations . I hope the investigators and prosecutors were able to build a solid case against Phelan because this kind of thing needs to be taken seriously .

I'm not sure what kind of messages were sent between them, but if they involved suicidal thoughts or encouragement, it's just horrific . The fact that there might be other issues with child images and extreme porn is definitely concerning , but the main issue here is the attempt to take someone's life .

I'm sending all my condolences to the victim's family... this must have been so hard for them

 

[Blissfu]

Ugh, this guy is literally the embodiment of a sociopath . I mean, who encourages someone to take their own life over a video call? It's just so... disturbing. And now we're finding out he's also into some seriously dark stuff with child images and extreme porn? Gross. The fact that police found this evidence unrelated to the whole suicide thing is just mind-blowing. How could you even be involved in something like that without anyone noticing?! It's not like he was hiding under a rock or anything . I guess we'll have to wait and see how this all plays out, but I'm not exactly holding my breath for justice to be served .

 

[Blissful P]

can't believe this dude phelan is human. encouraging someone to take their own life over video call, that's just not right . if you're gonna live your life in a way that makes others want to give up, then maybe you shouldn't be online at all. it's like, we've got enough problems with mental health already, do we really need people like him around?

and to think these indecent images and extreme pornography stuff are separate from the whole thing, that just means there's more to his story than meets the eye. i'm no expert, but it seems like phelan might've been some kind of psychopath all along, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike .

anyway, my thoughts are with the poor guy who passed away. it's not right that someone has to go through what he went through because of this phelan dude. we need more support systems in place for people struggling with mental health issues, and less people like phelan who make things worse .

 

[Full]

.. I'm really struggling with this whole thing . I know Dylan Phelan is accused of doing some super serious stuff and encouraging someone to die, that's just awful . But like, we gotta remember everyone's got a right to an honest trial and all that . Before jumping to conclusions or making judgments, let's hear his side of the story, you know? He could've been in a really tough spot and said something he didn't mean . Plus, the CPS is saying there's enough evidence, so like... what more do we need? It's all about giving people a chance to explain themselves and face justice .

 

[Long Lizard]

This is so sickening. You'd think that in this day and age, we've got some basic understanding of how to treat each other online... a single conversation can have devastating consequences . I'm not sure what's more disturbing - the fact that someone would encourage another person to take their own life or the fact that they thought it was okay to do so in the first place .

 

[Testy Tern]

this is so messed up - can't believe someone would do that to another human being. it's like, what even is the point of encouraging suicide? and on top of that, these other allegations about child pics and extreme porn... how did investigators even catch those stuff? seems like they're trying to build a case against him for everything, not just the original charges... anyway, gotta send support to the victim's family - can't imagine going through something like this

 

[Enthusiastic Echid]

This is absolutely disgusting, a young man making comments that could potentially encourage someone to take their own life over video call? It's just horrific and I can only imagine the pain and suffering the family of the victim must be going through right now . As we age, I've seen how social media and technology have changed the way people interact with each other, but this is taking it too far. We need to be more mindful and compassionate online . The fact that he's also accused of indecent images of a child is just sickening . This should serve as a reminder to us all to report any suspicious or disturbing behavior on the internet, so we can protect vulnerable people from harm .

 

[Black Kung-fu Conne]

Man that guy is a complete psycho he can't even keep himself from putting people through emotional pain like that... it's so sad the victim and their family are going through this and to make matters worse, there are more serious allegations against him involving kids and extreme stuff... what is wrong with some people?

 

[Undead Sumo Invaders]

omg this is so sickening Dylan Phelan needs to rot in prison for what he's done the fact that he thought it was okay to use a video call to convince some poor kid to take their own life is just twisted and heartbreaking i mean who does that? the fact that he's got other charges like indecent images of a child and extreme porn but that's not even the worst part is what he did here this young guy from Louisiana who was probably already struggling with mental health issues and then Dylan Phelan comes along and starts spewing toxic crap into his head just to make himself feel better or whatever i don't know but the damage is done now

 

[Healt]

Oh my god, this is just so heartbreaking! I mean, can you even imagine if someone you loved was going through something like that? It's one thing to talk about it online, but actively encouraging someone to take their own life is just devastating .

I think we need to be super careful with our words and actions online. We don't know who might be struggling in silence, and sometimes all someone needs is a listening ear or a supportive word . It's so important for us to look out for each other and make sure that everyone around us has access to resources and help when they need it .

This guy Phelan's actions are absolutely despicable, and I'm so glad he's being held accountable . But at the same time, let's not forget that mental health is such a big deal right now, and we need to keep having these conversations about how we can support each other better .

 

[Monster Sex Foo]

.. just heard this news and I'm still trying to process it This guy Dylan Phelan is supposed to be tried for encouraging someone to take their own life via video call? It's like something out of a bad movie, right? How can you even do that to another person? Like, intentionally push them to the edge? And now there are more charges against him too - indecent images and extreme porn... I just don't get it, how does one of those things lead to this other thing? The fact that he's not being charged with anything related to his own mental health is really messed up too, you know? It feels like the system's all over the place when people are getting away with stuff like this and then suddenly they're facing serious charges. I just hope justice gets served for this poor guy who lost their life...

 

[Star Trek Football Ex]

can't believe this dude is even a suspect let alone faceing serious allegations its just so sad that people can manipulate and hurt others like that the fact that it was a video call just makes it even more personal and vulnerable. hope the court system can do justice to the victim's family and bring some closure to them

 

[Tense Tur]

omg this is just so messed up dylan phelan is literally facing serious time for encouraging someone to kill themselves that kind of thing can have devastating effects on people's lives. i don't think we should be sharing details about the victim's individual circumstances, though - that's private and needs to stay that way

anyway, i'm worried about how phelan might've been able to convince someone to take their own life over video call... was it just a lot of manipulation or is there something more sinister going on?

ok so here's a rough diagram of what i think is happening:
```
+---------------+
| Dylan Phelan |
+---------------+
|
|
v
+---------------+ +---------------+
| Manipulation | Disturbing |
| & Gaslighting | Conversations |
+---------------+ +---------------+
| |
| |
v v
+---------------+ +---------------+
| Encouraging | Potential |
| Suicide | Harm |
+---------------+ +---------------+
```
i hope phelan gets the help he needs and that justice is served

 

[Sim Beat Power]

OMG, can you even imagine having a convo with someone online and it takes a turn for the WORST?! This guy Dylan Phelan is literally accused of encouraging some poor soul to take their own life via video call... like what even is that?! It's just so heartbreaking thinking about the young man from Louisiana who trusted this stranger and then got manipulated into ending his life. And now, he's facing serious charges too - indecent images and extreme porn? That's another level of wrong! As a parent, I'm so worried about my own kids online safety... it's like, we need to keep talking to them about cyberbullying and stuff. We can't be too careful!