Chatroom users 'egged on father to kill himself live on webcam'

[voivod]

A father-of-two hanged himself live over the internet in Britain's first 'cyber suicide'.

Kevin Whitrick, 42, took his life after being goaded by dozens of chatroom users from across the world who initially believed he was play acting.

But as they watched in horror, Mr Whitrick climbed onto a chair, smashed through a ceiling and then hanged himself with a piece of rope.


Kevin Neil Whitrick, 42, was found dead by police in Wellington, after being alerted by a web user who is thought to have watched in horror as the man harmed himself


Stunned by what they had witnessed - broadcast on a popular chatroom website used by millions of people across the globe - chatroom users immediately contacted the police.

Officers rushed to the electrician's home in the Wellington area of Shropshire within minutes, smashing down the door to try to save him.

Kevin Whitrick had two 12-year-olds who he visited regularly
But despite their efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Last night it emerged that Mr Whitrick had been suffering from depression after being badly injured in a car crash last year.

Friends said that the breakdown of his marriage with wife, Paula - with whom he had 12-year-old twins - and the recent death of his father had also been causing him some distress.

Mr Whitrick told users of web-chat site PalTalk what he was going to do two hours before he killed himself on Wednesday night.

He was logged on with around 50 other users to a special "insult" chatroom where people "have a go at each other".

Today distraught users of the site said that they felt sick and had previously thought the web broadcast was a hoax.

They confirmed Mr Whitrick told friends in the internet chat room of his plans to kill himself but, thinking he was joking, they egged him on telling him to make sure the his webcam was on.

Mr Whitrick, using the user-name Shyboy-17-1, switched on his webcam and went ahead with his grisly plan.

One anonymous user said: "He tied a rope around an uncovered ceiling joist and stood on the chair as he tied the rope around his neck.

"Some of us chatroom users, talking to Kevin over text chat, microphones and video tried to convince him to step down, but others egged him on telling him to get on with it.

"We just couldn't believe he was doing it - it was surreal.

"One chatter said: 'F***ing do it, get on with it, get it round your neck. For F***'s sake he can't even do this properly'."

Another user who did not wish to be named said: "When Kevin stepped off the chair and was left dangling, the mood in the chatroom changed and people began to realise what they had just seen.

"We started asking if anyone knew where he lived and saying they should contact the police.

"I think someone contacted the police in their local area but sadly no one could get to him in time."

Shortly after, moderators on the site closed the feed from Kevin's webcam.

'Considerate and kind'

Mr Whitrick had been living in his flat, a converted house, after splitting from his wife Paula two years ago.

The couple, who married in 1988, had 12-year-old twins Lewis and Melissa who live with their mother in a three-bedroom, semi-detached home close by.

They are said to have visited their dad, who worked at family firm RMW electrical services in Shrewsbury, at weekends. His older brother Malcolm Whitrick is an associate director at Shrewsbury Town Football Club.



Kevin Whitrick's sparse profile on the paltalk website
Last night Mrs Whitrick said: "Kevin was a loving father and family man. He was always the life and soul of the party, an extremely considerate and kind person and loved by many, he will be so sadly missed by us all.

"Unfortunately Kevin had a very serious car accident in July 2006 and had never fully recovered back to full health."

Mr Whitrick's stepmother Betty Whitrick, 74, told the Mail: 'Kevin was a bubbly kind of person, full of fun. I just don't know why he would do this.

"He lived alone but he always cheerful when I saw him. I knew he was very into computers and he also used to like playing bowls."

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Groves who is leading the investigation said: "Our enquiries to date have revealed that Mr Whitrick was using a chat room with a number of other people at the time of his death.

"We are liasing with the internet service provider at this time to contact other users who were online at the time of this incident and who may have information that could assist our enquiries.

"We are also working to ensure that witness support facilities are available to those who may have been affected by what they saw."

Sharon Atwal, who works in a cornershop opposite Mr Whitrick's flat, described him as "subdued" the last time she saw him.

She said: "Every night he'd take eight cans of Boddington's bitter from the fridge and re-stock it with the cans from the shelf. He always seemed quite cheerful.

"On Wednesday night, though, he didn't seem himself and it was the first night that he did not re-stock the fridge. It was as if he knew he wouldn't be coming back.

"He always struck me as very happy, he was friendly and had two perfect kids. I cannot believe he has done this."

Her brother Bobby added: "Kevin has lived in the flat for the past year and I have seen him every day without fail.

"Last week, he told me about his chat room. He was excited and said he had set it up himself. He said he had been speaking to people in Australia on his webcam.

"His two children used to visit at weekends. He had a very good relationship with them and always gave them lots of money to buy sweets."

The case appears to echo that of Brandon Vedas, a 21 year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, who committed suicide online using a mix of alcohol and prescription medication.

In that case people in the chat room egged the young man on, while others tried desperately to find his address.

Local MP for the Wrekin, Mark Pritchard, said: "This is a very sad and rare incident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

"It is important that the use of the internet in this death is fully investigated."

[AT]

Always mean what you say and say what you mean. The idiots who encouraged his suicide now have to live with the idea that they may have contributed to the death of a father of 12 year-olds.

[sisca]

how fucking horrible. goading someone into suicide...the human race has officially run its course.

[jimmy812]

The whole thing is obviously horrible, and the people that were egging him on to do it are sub-human, HOWEVER, I think that he was going to go through with it regardless. I'm sorry, but I blame no one but the guy. Before he logged on, I think he knew what he was going to do. I know it's apparent that he was mentally ill due to the recent hardships in his life. But why do you have to call out for attention by killing yourself on a webcam? Didn't he even think about his kids at all? What a senseless, selfish shame.

[MF5150]

Contributed...but not caused. I agree that the people who were playfully egging him on are going to have to live with this forever...but it is not their fault.

Somebody doesn't go on the internet on webcam and listens to people and then says, "You know what...these people are on to something...I'm going to kill myself."

It almost as if...you had a friend...and he wanted to borrow some rope one day and you gladly found some in your garage and gave it too him...then you made the joke, "If you want I can show you how to make the proper neuce...because you really should kill yourself"

And then the next day your friend kills himself. You are not the cause of it. But you will have to live with that joke for the rest of your life.

Same thing with people blaming Ozzy and Priest for their songs that kill people.... ...chances are the kid was fucked up already and that's why he put the gun in his mouth. Nobody answers that question about how and why that kid got that way. The parents automatically try and cash in and blame the music their son or daughter listened too....unbelievable.

[AT]

I certainly wasn't implying those who egged him on are responsible, just that they have to live with the idea that they encouraged it, when in fact they maybe could have helped stop it. But I agree that in all likelihood the guy had his plan and knew what he was going to do.

[ZeoBandit]

This is appalling. How can someone coax someone into committing suicide and broadcast it live over the internet? Absolutely disgusting.....

[edwardv]

Lots of sick people in the world and now many are on the web but really its like a jumper on a ledge and everyone below telling him to jump. Mental illness suks .

[Wickett]

Unfortunately, there's too many people in chat rooms anymore who don't associate what happens on the internet with reality, thinking that their actions and words in chat rooms do not have significance and impact in the real world.

Sad and Tragic for both him and his family.

[PlexiBrown]

I'm sorry, but I blame no one but the guy.

Same here. If you off yourself it is nobody else's fault. It also sucks that people who do something like this know that they are going to be leaving a dead body behind that their family members are going to have to find and deal with. What a rotten thing to do to your kids. I have known people who killed themselves and left a mess behind for the family to deal with. These family members are still haunted by the scenes everyday. Now this guy kills himself so it can be seen on the internet. Joking around or not the people shouldn't have egged him on but they are not to blame.

[Van Squalen]

Yes, ultimately it was his decision, but that doesn't excuse the rephrensible and disgusting behavior on the part of the people who were egging him on.

[MF5150]

Although these people were not to blame...it is a sick society that we live in where we would rather see the car on the side of the highway all crushed and on fire instead of just sitting there.

This incident is a reflection of society as a whole. You or I may not have done what these people did in the chat rooms...but it shows how much our society craves violence and death. Then we ask ourselves, "Why are we so violent? Why are there so many murders". Obviously there isn't a direct A to B correlation...but one thing does have to do with the other.

These people could have easily said to this guy, "Don't do it. It's not worth it?" Whether the guy was joking or not is not the point...

It's like opening a door for a person in a wheelchair...sure that person in the wheel chair might have been capable of opening themselves...but the point is you did it.

These people are not to blame, that has been established, but what they did is something they will be judged for later on in life.

After thinking about this my thoughts have changed, in my earlier post I was quite set that it was solely the guy's fault.

[Limecuda]

How long until it pops up on youtube? You know some sicko recorded it.