Dylan Phelan Jailed For Six Years & Four Months After Discord Campaign Of Cruelty Led To Fatal Suicide Of Travis Dyer

A 21-year-old man has been jailed for six years and four months after using the social messaging platform Discord to encourage a vulnerable US citizen to take his own life during a video call, in a case heard at Leeds Crown Court involving international online communications, group coercion, and subsequent sexual offence convictions.

Dylan Phelan, of Morley in West Yorkshire, admitted an offence of intentionally doing an act capable of encouraging or assisting the suicide of Travis Dyer, a 21-year-old from Louisiana, following months of contact across Discord and a private online server.

Leeds Crown Court heard the conduct culminated in a video call on 30 October 2024, during which Dyer took his own life by gunshot wound after what prosecutors described as sustained encouragement from Phelan and two others based in the United States.

The court was told Phelan was part of a private Discord group known as “Recovery4all”, alongside users identified only as “Mads” and “Rob”. Prosecutor Andrew Petterson said the group name was misleading and that it functioned as a space in which Dyer’s mental health struggles were not supported but instead exploited.

Read more: Mikey’s Penny for your Poll: The Under-16 Social Media Ban

Petterson told the court: “This was a campaign of cruelty during which Travis Dyer was groomed into taking his own life,” adding that members encouraged him to spend money on drugs and alcohol and to harm himself, including carving initials into his skin, with Phelan’s name later found scratched onto his hip.

The prosecution said that during the final video call, participants could be heard urging Dyer to take his own life, and that Phelan was heard laughing after he did so.

Judge Barry Cotter KC said Dyer had been “suffering before your eyes” and required support rather than encouragement, describing Phelan’s conduct as motivated by “morbid curiosity”. He said the offending formed part of a joint enterprise, describing that as a significant aggravating feature.

The judge added that Dyer had shown uncertainty during the call and had not reached a fixed intention to die before the encouragement he received, stating: “It was encouragement from you and the group that was necessary to push him to the final terrible act.”

Read more: Two Men Convicted of Sir Keir Starmer Arson Conspiracy Plot

The court heard Dyer had experienced significant childhood trauma, including the loss of his mother and sister in an accident. His great-grandmother, Vivian Mahoney, said in a victim statement that he had endured “more tragedy than most endure in a century” and described his future as having been “stolen”.

Prosecutors said Dyer’s death came after months of online contact in which members of the group repeatedly discussed self-harm and suicide. The court heard that after the death, Phelan messaged another Discord user confirming what had happened, prompting further disclosures that led to authorities being alerted.

Police later located Dyer’s body at his home in Louisiana.

Phelan’s involvement came to light months later after he attended Elland Road Police Station with his parents and admitted his role to officers. His devices were seized and later analysis uncovered additional offending, including indecent images of a child and extreme pornographic material.

Read more: Four Men Jailed for Combined Twenty-Five Years After Violent Disorder and Assault in Bilston

He pleaded guilty to intentionally encouraging or assisting suicide, three counts of possession of extreme pornographic images, and one count of making an indecent image of a child.

Defending, Matthew Harding said Phelan had shown genuine remorse and did not seek to minimise his involvement, but said there were ongoing concerns about his mental health.

Detective Inspector Dan Ridgway of West Yorkshire Police said the investigation required cooperation with US Homeland Security and digital forensic analysis across jurisdictions, describing the case as an example of the risks posed by individuals operating across online communities.

He added that investigations into two other alleged participants, identified as “Mads” and “Rob”, remain ongoing in the United States.

Phelan was also made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.