The ObserverTechnology This article is more than 16 years old

Chatroom users face charges over suicide

This article is more than 16 years old

Dozens of internet users who allegedly goaded a depressed father to hang himself could face criminal charges.Kevin Whitrick, 42, killed himself live on the internet after being incited by chatroom users who initially believed he was play-acting.

Police investigating the death of the father of two from Telford, Shropshire, have interviewed many of those logged on to the 'insult' chatroom at the Paltalk.com website at the time of the suicide and have passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service. Any chatroom visitor who urged Whitrick to hang himself could be guilty of assisting suicide, which carries a jail sentence.

Users of the chatroom saw Whitrick climb on to a chair, tie a rope round a ceiling joist and hang himself. Friends say he had been suffering from depression after the breakdown of his marriage and following a serious car crash.

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