British man jailed for encouraging vulnerable American to shoot himself during video call

A British man has been jailed for more than six years for encouraging a 21-year-old American to take his own life with a shotgun during a video call.

Dylan Phelan, also 21, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison at Leeds Crown Court after pleading guilty in March to encouraging the suicide of Travis Dyer in Louisiana on 30 October 2024.

During the call, which also involved two other people based in the US, Mr Dyer was encouraged to kill himself with a shotgun, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The pair had been communicating for several months in the lead up to his death on the online platform Discord.

Phelan's phone was also found to have an indecent image of a child and other extreme pornography images.

In May, Phelan, from Morley in West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to one count of making an indecent image of a child in November 2024 and three counts of possessing extreme pornography in March 2025, neither of which were linked to Mr Dyer's death.

On Friday, Phelan also received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Alex Johnson, a senior prosecutor in the CPS Special Crime Division, said the sentence was the result of a "deeply disturbing case involving the sustained exploitation of a vulnerable young man through an online platform".

"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," he said.

"His actions were calculated, cruel, and had devastating consequences."

Phelan went to the helpdesk at the Leeds District Police Headquarters with his parents on 27 March 2025 and said he had assisted the suicide of a man in Louisiana in the US who he referred to as "Tyler".

The man was later identified as Mr Dyer.

After his arrest, Phelan made full admissions in an interview and said he had been drawn into darker groups on Discord.

In a police interview, Phelan told officers he had spoken to Mr Dyer via text messages and video calls in the months leading up to his death.

On a recording of the call in which Mr Dyer ended his life, Phelan can be heard encouraging him to pull the trigger and laughing afterwards.

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Detective Inspector Dan Ridgway, of Leeds Criminal Investigation Department, said Phelan's conviction was the result of a "complex investigation" which involved enquiries being made in the UK and with Homeland Security in the US.

"We were able to secure digital evidence of the video call as well as wider evidence of Phelan's communications with Travis and others prior to Travis' death," he said.

He added: "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."

Phelan's parents took him to the police station after a woman he had initially met online and later in person told them about their son's involvement in Mr Dyer's death.

He had told the woman about Mr Dyer's death months after it happened.

Mr Johnson said: "Today's sentence reflects the seriousness of that offending. 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."

Mr Dyer was known to be vulnerable and struggling with his mental health and had lost his mother and younger sister in a car crash 10 years before his own death.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

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