LEICESTER – Tyler Webb has become the first person sentenced under new internet safety laws after a court heard he persistently encouraged a vulnerable woman to kill herself for his own “sexual gratification.” The 23-year-old from Loughborough was given a hybrid order of nine years and four months imprisonment Friday at Leicester Crown Court.
Webb will begin his sentence in a mental health facility and, if deemed fit for release, will serve the remainder of his term in prison. The case marks the first prosecution under Section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023, which criminalizes encouraging serious self-harm online.
“Tyler Webb is a person who is manipulative, he’s dangerous, he takes gratification in seeing other people hurt themselves,” said Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Alex Johnson. “He’s a very dangerous person.”
Judge Timothy Spencer KC agreed that Webb was “very largely” motivated by sexual gratification when handing down the sentence. The court heard disturbing details of how Webb groomed his victim over several weeks after meeting her in an online mental health forum.
Victim Describes “Calculated Psychological Violence”
In a powerful victim impact statement read to the court, the woman – who cannot be named for legal reasons – described Webb’s actions as “attempted murder through psychological means.” She detailed the lasting trauma from what she called weeks of “calculated psychological violence.”
He didn’t try to kill me with his hands but with his words,” the victim wrote. “He had no turmoil while torturing me. He told me that my only value was in dying for his entertainment.”
The statement continued: “I’m alive, but the life I have left is altered forever. My life is ruined – my mind and body have been severely damaged.”
Prosecutor Catherine Oakley told the court that Webb “loved it” when he encouraged the woman to harm herself. “Tyler Webb told her it turned him on,” Oakley said.
Persistent Campaign of Manipulation
The court heard how Webb repeatedly instructed his victim to end her life during video calls because he wanted to watch her die. He would “berate her and say she had nothing to live for and she should die,” according to prosecutors.
In one particularly harrowing incident, Webb watched as the woman attempted suicide by hanging during a video call. When the attempt failed, he instructed her to try again.
During a 44-minute phone call on July 2, 2024, Webb made persistent efforts to convince the woman to kill herself. When it became apparent she would not comply, he threatened to block contact with her and move on to another victim.
“He told her he wanted her to do it during a video call so he could watch,” Oakley explained to the court.
Digital Evidence Reveals Disturbing Pattern
Investigators uncovered extensive digital evidence revealing Webb’s predatory behavior. His Reddit profile, identified as “u/EmpathicNarcissist,” contained numerous anime and gaming characters depicted in erotic poses with fatal injuries – all female characters.
A search of Webb’s devices revealed drawings and images depicting hangings, decapitations, and sexual violence against women. Prosecutors argued this material demonstrated his mindset and intentions.
The fact that Webb refused to turn on his own camera during video calls with the victim suggested he knew “what he was doing was wrong and he was in effect looking out for himself, not her,” Oakley told the court.
Brave Victim’s Evidence Crucial to Conviction
The woman contacted police on July 3, 2024, fearing Webb would target others after he asked her to “sacrifice” herself. Webb was arrested at his Loughborough home on July 10 following the report.
Detective Constable Lauren Hampton from Leicestershire Police praised the victim’s courage in coming forward. She’s gathered, from a police perspective, evidence that we could have never have dreamt of, in terms of being able to show his involvement and his guilt in this crime,” Hampton said.
Tragically, after reporting Webb to police, the victim listened to recordings of their conversations again, concerned she had “blown the call out of proportion.” The continuing effect of Webb’s manipulation led her to follow his instructions once more, resulting in intensive care treatment for several days.
“She felt so guilty for getting him in trouble that she wanted to listen to the recording to see if she remembered it as being as bad as it was,” DC Hampton explained.
First Test of New Online Safety Laws
Webb was charged on July 12, 2024, becoming the first person prosecuted under Section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023. He pleaded guilty in May to encouraging serious self-harm and encouraging suicide between June 22 and July 11, 2024.
The Online Safety Act came into force on January 31, 2024, creating new offenses to address harmful online behavior. While encouraging suicide has been illegal since 1961, encouraging self-harm online only became a specific criminal offense with the new legislation.
“This conviction shows that we have an effective new tool to use against people who are determined to cause this sort of harm online,” said CPS prosecutor Johnson. “This wasn’t some sort of fantasy or role play.”
Since Webb’s charge, others have been arrested and prosecuted under the same legislation, though the CPS noted some cases have already concluded more quickly.
Calls for Stronger Platform Regulation
The case has prompted renewed calls for stricter regulation of online platforms. Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation – established in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell – warned that current regulations are failing to prevent similar offenses.
“While new offences in the Online Safety Act helped secure Webb’s conviction, the reality is that Ofcom’s regulation of tech companies is failing to prevent the increasing threat of similar offences from taking place,” Burrows said in a statement.
He urged the government to implement “stronger online safety laws that can effectively tackle these sadistic crimes and protect vulnerable young people online.
Pattern of Premeditated Behavior
Prosecutors successfully argued that Webb’s offending involved “pre-meditation, persistence and extensive encouragement and advice.” The court heard how he quickly gained his victim’s trust before beginning what was described as a “barrage of vile requests.
“Webb preyed upon a vulnerable woman at a time when she was reaching out to people in an online forum for help and support,” said DC Hampton. “He quickly gained her trust and then he began with his barrage of vile requests – all the time knowing that what he was telling her to do could result in her ending her own life.”
The victim’s bravery in reporting Webb likely prevented him from targeting others, police emphasized. DC Hampton expressed hope that other victims would show similar courage in coming forward.
The case serves as a stark warning about the dangers of online predators exploiting vulnerable individuals through digital platforms, marking a significant moment in the enforcement of new internet safety legislation.
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Image credit:
Leicester Crown and County Court. Photo by Mat Fascione, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
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