Suicide of Kevin Whitrick
Kevin Neil Whitrick (17 August 1964 – 21 March 2007) was a British electrical engineer.[1] Whitrick's death was highly publicised for his live, online webcast suicide.
Kevin Whitrick | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kevin Neil Whitrick 17 August 1964 Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 21 March 2007 (aged 42) Wellington, Shropshire, England |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse(s) | Paula Whitrick
(m. 1988; separated 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
Biography
Background
Whitrick had been married to his wife Paula since 1988, and they had two children. At the time of his death, the marriage had broken down about two years prior, and he was living separately from his family.[2] In 2006, Whitrick was severely injured in a car accident and suffered long-term health consequences.[2]
Suicide
On the day of his death, Whitrick was in a chatroom on PalTalk and was joined by about 60 other users in a special "insult" chatroom where people "have a go at each other".[2] He stood on a chair, punched a hole in his ceiling and placed a rope around a joist, and then tied the other end around his neck, then stepped off the chair. Some people thought this was a prank, until his face started turning blue. Some people in the chat room egged him on while others tried desperately to find his address. A member in the room contacted the police, who arrived at the scene two minutes later. Kevin Whitrick was pronounced dead at 11:15 pm. GMT.[1]
Aftermath
The death was widely reported in the media. Concerns were raised over the possibility that it could inspire further suicides,[3] as well as the webcam footage becoming available in perpetuity on the internet.[4] Detectives traced about 100 chatroom users to question them about their role in the cyber suicide, though the Crown Prosecution Service did not pursue any criminal charges against them.[5][6]
See also
- Other high-profile Internet-streamed suicides:
- List of people who died by suicide by hanging
References
- Bale, Joanna (24 March 2007). "Get on with it, said net audience as man hanged himself on webcam". The Times. Archived from the original on 6 April 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2007.
- "Chatroom users 'egged on father to kill himself live on webcam'". London Evening Standard. 24 March 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
- Live hanging shown on web – Alberta suicide-prevention groups brace for copycat deaths Archived 28 March 2007 at archive.today
- Keep online suicide footage offline: police Archived 29 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- "No charges over 'suicide' on web". BBC News. 26 May 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2007.
- Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (26 March 2007). "Police consider charging chatroom users for inciting cyber suicide". The Australian. Archived from the original on 15 May 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2007.