A man has been jailed for inciting a vulnerable person in the United States to take his own life during a video call. Dylan Phelan, 21, from Morley in West Yorkshire, admitted encouraging the suicide of Travis Dyer in Louisiana on October 30, 2024.
Sentence and Charges
Phelan was sentenced to six years and four months in prison today at Leeds Crown Court. He also received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) revealed that Phelan had been communicating with Mr. Dyer, who was known to be vulnerable and struggling with mental health problems, for several months via the online platform Discord.
Details of the Incident
In March 2024, Phelan attended Elland Road Police Station in Leeds alongside his parents and told officers that he had taken part in a video call, along with two other individuals based in the United States, during which Mr. Dyer was prompted to take his life with a shotgun.
A police investigation revealed that the encouragement was not an isolated incident. In the months before his death, Mr. Dyer was subjected to sustained and serious encouragement to self-harm by members of the online group.
Phelan admitted to police that he had become attracted to the darker groups on Discord and acknowledged that his words were a factor in the suicide.
Additional Offenses
Examination of his mobile phone also revealed possession of an indecent image of a child and other extreme pornography images. Phelan pleaded guilty to one charge of creating an indecent image of a child in November 2024 and three charges of possessing extreme pornography in March 2025.
Victim Background
Mr. Dyer, aged 21, lived in Theriot, Louisiana. He had tragically lost his mother and younger sister in a crash a decade before his own death. In August 2014, local paper Houma Today reported that Ashley Ann Worrell, 31, and her three-year-old daughter Delaney Rae Lirette died when their pick-up truck flipped into a canal.
An obituary posted on a funeral home website following Mr. Dyer's death described him as sweet, gentle, quiet, kind and very caring to those he loved. It read: Travis will forever be loved and terribly missed by all of those who have known him.
A tribute from his great-grandmother said: Travie, We miss you. Needless to say, I'm so beside myself. I don't know what to say or how to say it. Sweetheart, you were so unfortunate to have had so many tragedies in your young life. It was totally unfair for you.
Prosecution Statement
The prosecution followed an investigation by West Yorkshire Police. Alex Johnson, Senior Specialist Prosecutor in the CPS Special Crime Division, said: This was a deeply disturbing case involving the sustained exploitation of a vulnerable young man through an online platform. 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.
He added: 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. His actions were calculated, cruel, and had devastating consequences. Our thoughts remain with Travis Dyer's family and friends. We hope today's outcome provides them with a measure of justice.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are available day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.
