UK Man Appears in Court Over Alleged Suicide Encouragement via Video Call
A man from West Yorkshire has made his first court appearance after being accused of encouraging a man in the United States to shoot himself during a video call. Dylan Phelan, aged 21 and from Morley, is charged with encouraging the suicide of Travis Dyer in Louisiana on October 30, 2024.
Court Proceedings and Charges
Phelan appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court, where he was not required to enter a formal plea to the suicide encouragement charge. However, he did plead 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.
Magistrates determined that the suicide encouragement offense was so severe that it must be handled by a crown court judge. Prosecutor Alex Johnson stated, "Phelan faces an indictable only charge relating to encouragement, we say, that the defendant gave to a man to commit suicide using the Discord platform."
Sam Shabil, chair of the bench, granted Phelan conditional bail until his next hearing at Leeds Crown Court on March 11.
Background of the Victim
Travis Dyer, also 21, lived in Theriot, Louisiana. He had experienced significant personal tragedy, losing his mother and younger sister in a car crash ten years prior to his own death. In August 2014, local newspaper Houma Today reported that Ashley Ann Worrell, 31, and her three-year-old daughter Delaney Rae Lirette died after their pick-up truck overturned into a canal.
An obituary posted after Dyer's death described him as "sweet, gentle, quiet, kind and very caring to those he loved." It added, "Travis will forever be loved and terribly missed by all of those who have known him." A tribute from his great-grandmother expressed profound grief, saying, "Travie, We miss you. Needless to say, I’m so beside myself... Sweetheart, you were so unfortunate to have had so many tragedies in your young life. It was totally unfair for you."
Prosecution and Support Resources
Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime Division, commented on the case, "Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. We have worked closely with West Yorkshire Police as they carried out their investigation into the circumstances of this death. Our thoughts are with the family of the victim at this time."
For those in need of support, Samaritans are available to listen 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org for more information.
