British man jailed for encouraging suicide in US
A British man who admitted encouraging a 21-year-old “vulnerable” US citizen to kill himself during a video call has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison.
Dylan Phelan, 21, from Morley, had been communicating via the online platform Discord with Travis Dyer, who had been struggling with his mental health for several months.
Leeds Crown Court was told Phelan, along with two other men living in the US, encouraged Dyer, who lives in Louisiana, to kill himself during a two-minute conversation on October 30, 2024.
Judge Barry Cotter KC said Phelan was driven by “morbid curiosity” and Travis “needed help and support but got the exact opposite from you”.
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Warning – This article contains distressing details about suicide and self-harm.
The court was told Phelan and two other men, known only as Mads and Rob, were members of a private server on Discord called ‘Recovery4all’, where they shared their thoughts about mental health issues.
Prosecutor Andrew Petterson said: “The name ‘Recovery4all’ was ironic as members were not seeking to help others with mental health problems.
“The deceased shared suicidal thoughts and plans to commit suicide within the group.”
Petterson said there were people in that group who wanted Dyer to commit suicide and encouraged him to do so.
The court was told the trio encouraged Dyer to spend all his money on drugs and alcohol so he had no way of supporting himself financially.
She was also encouraged to carve men’s initials into her skin, with Phelan’s name carved into her hip.
Petterson added: “This was a campaign of persecution in which Travis Dyer was preparing to take his own life.”
During the Oct. 30 video call, Petterson, along with others, said Phelan was heard at various points encouraging Dyer to take his own life.
After doing this, Phelan was heard laughing in the background.
An autopsy determined that Dyer died from a gunshot wound.
The court heard the next day another Discord user called Zachary Law, who is not part of the ‘Recovery4all’ group, received a message from Phelan saying Dyer had taken his own life.
Law, who had no role in Dyer’s death, later found other posts by Mads stating that the group had encouraged him to commit suicide.
The court heard Law then asked a third person, living in the US, to contact authorities and report what had happened.
Police then went to Dyer’s home and found his body on the porch.
Phelan’s role in Dyer’s death was revealed when Dyer went to Elland Police Station in Leeds and confessed what had happened.
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