Online Suicide Incitement
British Man Jailed Six Years for Inciting US Suicide on Live Discord Call
Key Points
The court heard Phelan told Dyer during the call: “This is the last time seriously, the last time you will ever feel it,” as Dyer took his own life while the video was still live.
A Leeds-based gamer who received the video recording, Zac Law, told the court he thought he was dealing with people who were struggling—until he realized “there” were “Dylan and two American participants… and… they’re just pushing him and encouraging him to do it.” He said it showed the people “you think you know, you don’t know.”
The sentencing remarks said Phelan attended Elland Road Police Station with his parents in March 2025 to report the call. The court heard officers were told about his involvement by a woman Phelan had met online and later met in person, who had been informed by Phelan some months after the death.
Judge Barry Cotter KC said Phelan acted out of “morbid curiosity,” adding that Dyer “had needed ‘help and support but he got the very opposite of that from you.’” The judge also referred to other participants as “Mads” and “Rob,” and urged people with information to come forward to US law enforcement.
A Leeds man has been jailed for six years and four months for urging a vulnerable 21-year-old American to take his own life during a live video call on Discord. Dylan Phelan watched Travis Dyer die on screen in late 2024 while telling him: "This is the last time seriously, the last time you will ever feel it," The Guardian reported.
Judge Barry Cotter KC told Phelan at Leeds Crown Court that Dyer "had needed help and support but he got the very opposite of that from you." Officials stressed that online anonymity offers no protection from prosecution, Sky News reported.
Months of Targeting Led to a Fatal Live Call
Phelan and two American online associates, identified in court only as "Mads" and "Rob," began targeting Dyer in late 2023, according to The Guardian. Prosecutors said the group knew Dyer was struggling with his mental health. They exploited that vulnerability over several months before the fatal call.
During the call, at least four people were connected online as Dyer died. Leeds-based gamer Zac Law later received a recording of the video. He told the court he initially thought the group was trying to help Dyer — until he realised they were "just pushing him and encouraging him to do it," PA Media reported.
Phelan Turned Himself In After a Woman Told Police
Phelan did not go straight to police after Dyer's death. He confessed to a woman he had met online and later in person, some months after the event. She then informed police. In March 2025, Phelan walked into Elland Road Police Station in Leeds with his parents to report his involvement, according to Yahoo News.
When police examined Phelan's devices, they found additional offenses. He admitted possession of indecent images of a child and extreme pornography. The court heard these were counted alongside the suicide encouragement charge in the final sentence of 76 months, The Guardian reported.
Judge Calls It Calculated Cruelty, Not Curiosity
Judge Cotter said Phelan acted out of "morbid curiosity." But prosecutors pushed back on any suggestion this was passive. The Crown Prosecution Service framed the case as deliberate exploitation — a sustained campaign that treated a human life as entertainment, according to Head Topics.
Phelan's defense argued his decision to hand himself in showed genuine remorse. They described him as isolated and socially stunted, drawn into toxic online spaces. The judge was not moved enough to significantly reduce the sentence.
Two American Suspects Remain at Large, FBI Involved
"Mads" and "Rob" — the two American participants on the call — have not been charged. Judge Cotter urged anyone with information to contact US law enforcement. Metadata from Phelan's devices is reportedly being shared with American authorities, Yahoo News reported.
The case is one of the first major prosecutions under the Online Safety Act 2023, which criminalises encouraging self-harm or suicide via digital platforms. West Yorkshire Police warned that operating behind a screen name is no shield. "Online anonymity does not prevent prosecution," officers said after the sentencing, according to The Guardian.
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