Manchester Man Acquitted of Manslaughter in Grindr Date Death
A Manchester man has been found not guilty of manslaughter following the death of his Grindr date during what prosecutors described as a high-risk sexual encounter. The verdict was delivered at Minshull Street Crown Court after jurors deliberated for more than nine hours.
Trial Details and Verdict
Josh Baxter, 28, was accused of killing 38-year-old Michael Barron, originally from Ireland, after Mr Barron visited Baxter's flat in Manchester. The court heard that the pair had exchanged explicit messages on the dating app Grindr prior to meeting for the first time.
Baxter was found not guilty of manslaughter but was convicted of intentional strangulation or suffocation and unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm. Prosecutors had alleged that Baxter choked Mr Barron so forcefully that he fractured a bone and cartilage, leading to a cardiac arrest caused by lack of oxygen to the brain.
Explicit Messages and Sexual Interests
The court was presented with detailed evidence about the nature of the encounter. Anne Whyte KC, prosecuting, told jurors that Baxter had quite specific sexual interests which he communicated to Mr Barron through Grindr messages.
In these messages, Baxter expressed preferences for rough sexual activity including:
- Choking and tying up partners
- Pulling hair and spitting
- Getting partners so drunk they became weak and defenceless
- Punching and rape role play
Mr Barron reportedly responded with his own preferences, stating he liked to be tied, gagged, hooded, totally helpless and that he enjoyed pain and torture.
Events Leading to the Fatal Encounter
According to court testimony, the pair discussed their sexual limits when Mr Barron arrived at Baxter's flat at 4.27pm. Baxter claimed Mr Barron said he did not want a safe word established for their encounter.
Prosecutors argued that while Mr Barron may have consented to certain acts, this provided no legal defence if Baxter foresaw the risk that his actions could affect Mr Barron's breathing and cause serious harm.
We suggest he foresaw the risk, and unreasonably took it precisely because the risks and control involved were part of the very specific sexual activity that he wanted to engage in, said Ms Whyte KC during the trial.
Aftermath and Defence Arguments
Following the sexual encounter, Baxter reportedly ordered a takeaway through Deliveroo, messaged several other men on Grindr, and conducted a Google search asking: If you accidentally kill someone by strangling them in sex do you go to prison.
Baxter maintained throughout the trial that he had not intentionally harmed Mr Barron and that his death was an accident. His defence barrister argued that evidence showed Mr Barron died inevitably because of alcohol poisoning rather than from the physical acts during their encounter.
The case has highlighted complex legal questions surrounding consent, risk assessment, and responsibility during consensual sexual activities that involve elements of physical restraint and breath control.
