A man standing trial for the alleged manslaughter of a man he met on Grindr has described to a jury the moment he saw his date's face turn a deep purple colour.
Fatal Encounter After App Meeting
Josh Baxter, 28, denies unlawfully killing 38-year-old Michael Barron after the pair connected on the dating app Grindr in January of the previous year. The trial at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester has heard that their conversation moved to WhatsApp, where they discussed engaging in high-risk sexual activities.
Prosecutors allege that Baxter, driven by a sexual motivation for risky acts, strangled and choked Mr Barron with such force that it fractured bone and cartilage. Mr Barron was found dead at Baxter's flat on Lakeside Rise, Blackley, on 26 January 2025, having suffered cerebral hypoxia - a lack of oxygen to the brain - leading to cardiac arrest.
Court Hears of 'Rough' Fantasies and Role Play
The jury was presented with message exchanges in which Baxter, who said he worked at Wetherspoons, asked if Mr Barron would let him "choke him, tie him up, pull his hair, spit on him, call him names, get him so drunk he was weak and defenceless and punch him". He also allegedly enquired about 'rape role play'.
Mr Barron reportedly expressed his own preferences, stating he liked being "tied, gagged, hooded, totally helpless" and experiencing "pain and torture". Giving evidence in his defence, Baxter claimed these discussions were mere "fantasy" and "role play", and he never intended to cause harm.
The Night of the Incident: From Drinking to Choking
Baxter told the court that Mr Barron arrived at his flat around 4.27pm. After general chat and drinking rose wine and vodka, they went to a shop just before 6pm to buy more alcohol. Baxter said they were "getting on quite well".
He testified that they moved to the bedroom where, after kissing, he began to choke Mr Barron intermittently for about five seconds. He said Mr Barron made "pleasurable grunts and groans" and did not ask him to stop. At Mr Barron's suggestion, Baxter then used four pieces of rope to loosely tie his arms and legs before they engaged in penetrative sex.
Baxter claimed Mr Barron said he had "enjoyed it" and they cuddled afterwards. The defendant stated he fell asleep on top of Mr Barron but was later woken by his snoring.
Discovery of a 'Deep Purple' Face and 999 Call
Baxter said he got up, ordered a takeaway of two chicken burgers, chips and onion rings, and then tried to wake Mr Barron as the food was due to arrive. He then noticed part of Mr Barron's face had turned a "light purple", but he could still hear snoring and breathing.
"I didn't think it was something serious," Baxter told the court. He left the flat to collect the food from downstairs. "As I walked back in with the food I noticed Michael had gone a deep purple," he said. "I couldn't hear any breathing or snoring."
Baxter said he dropped the food, tried to shake Mr Barron awake, and then used scissors to cut the ropes before dialling 999 and performing CPR. It was too late to save Mr Barron.
In the early hours of 27 January, after police had left, Baxter conducted an internet search: "If you accidentally kill someone by strangling them in sex do you go to prison." He told the court he was worried he might have "accidentally done something" and the choking was "the only thing I could think of".
Under questioning from his barrister, Louise Sweet KC, Baxter repeatedly denied intending to hurt Mr Barron or believing that any of their activities, including choking or him falling asleep on top of the victim, could cause serious harm. Josh Baxter, of Lakeside Rise, Blackley, pleads not guilty to manslaughter. The trial continues.
