British man who laughed after ‘grooming’ vulnerable American into killing himself is jailed

A British man who goaded a vulnerable young American to shoot himself has been handed a jail sentence.

Dylan Phelan was on a video call with 21-year-old Travis Dyer when the latter took his own life.

Phelan, also 21, was part of an online group on messaging app Discord where people shared thoughts about their mental health.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Mr Dyer had carved Phelan’s name into his body and had been encouraged to spend all his money on drink and drugs in the run-up to his death.

On October 20, 2024, Phelan was among three people on a video call with the vulnerable man when he killed himself.

Phelan himself encouraged Mr Dyer to pull the trigger several times when he was hesitating, and even laughed after the act was committed, the court was told.

The defendant from Morley in West Yorkshire kept a record of the suicide on his computer and shared the information with a female acquaintance who alerted Phelan’s mother.

Phelan then admitted to his involvement to police in Leeds, who found unrelated extreme pornography and indecent images on his devices.

Mr Dyer had experienced several tragic losses in his family, including his mother and sister to drowning.

His great-grandmother, Vivian Mahoney, calling in to court from the US, said he was a ‘shy, smart and resilient young man’ whose future had been ‘stolen,’

‘He was deeply adored and had a bright future ahead of him,’ she said.

The victim’s family said Phelan was not a lone actor and that the online space had been turned into a ‘hunting ground.’

But they added the fact that an online friend in the UK had sounded the alarm to authorities showed the internet could simultaneously be a ‘place of light.’

This made Phelan’s actions ‘to use it for darkness even more egregious,’ they said.

Matthew Harding, defending, said Phelan had admitted being detached from reality and had a mental health impairment.

He said to the court: ‘I invite you to accept his shame, regret, remorse, and considerably and genuinely felt.’

Phelan was jailed for six years and four months after admitting to charges of encouraging suicide, making an indecent image and possessing extreme pornography.

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Mr Justice Cotter, sentencing, said Mr Dyer had been the victim of a ‘campaign of cruelty’ when he needed help and support.

He told Phelan he had been motivated by ‘morbid curiosity.’

The judge said: ‘You wanted to feel like you had control over the actions of another.

‘You showed no respect for the life of Travis Dyer.’

He urged anyone with information on the other people involved in the group to share this with US authorities.

One of them posed a particular danger to vulnerable people, having ‘boasted of being a sociopath and in being involved in a number of suicides’, he said.

DI Dan Ridgeway said after the hearing: ‘This case highlights the dangers that certain individuals can pose on an international level in these online communities.

‘Whether in person or online, if someone is making you feel unsafe or encouraging you to harm yourself or others then please report it.

‘We must remember at the heart of this investigation is a 21-year-old man who sadly took his own life.

‘I would urge anyone who is struggling with their own mental health to please seek professional support.’

Alex Johnson, a senior specialist prosecutor at the CPS, said: ‘Those who use online spaces to encourage self-harm or suicide will be held to account.

‘The anonymity of the internet does not place anyone beyond the reach of the law.

‘Dylan Phelan did not simply witness these events – he deliberately and persistently encouraged Travis Dyer to take his own life, intending that he would do so.

‘His actions were calculated, cruel, and had devastating consequences.’

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