A man has been sentenced after he “repeatedly and persistently” encouraged a vulnerable woman he met online to kill herself.
Tyler Webb, 23, connected with his victim on social media before asking the woman, who cannot be named, to harm herself for his own “sexual gratification”.
Police said the victim’s bravery was “profound” in reporting the offence, which led to Webb being the first person in the country to be charged with encouraging serious self-harm online under section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023.
Webb was given a hybrid order of nine years and four months, which will see him detained at a mental health facility and if deemed fit to leave, he will serve the remainder in prison.
Although Webb being charged was a legal first, the Crown Prosecution (CPS) said other cases brought since then had already concluded.
Webb, of King Crescent South in Loughborough, Leicestershire, admitted encouraging suicide and one count of encouraging or assisting someone to seriously self-harm at a hearing in May.
Alex Johnson, from the CPS, described the case as a “watershed prosecution” and said “as far as he is aware”, this is the only case this offence has been used to prosecute someone targeting a vulnerable person via social media.
