Detectives investigating the death of Shropshire father-of-two Kevin Whitrick have traced nearly 100 people who watched him apparently commit suicide on the internet.
Mr Whitrick was seen hanging from the ceiling through his web camera, by people talking to him on the Paltalk chatroom.
The horrified web users phoned police to tell officers where Mr Whitrick lived. Officers broke down the door to his flat but were unable to revive him.
Today Sarah Warren, spokeswoman for Telford police said: “Detectives leading the investigation have traced most of the people in the chatroom.
“Nobody has been charged and no arrests have been made. The inquest is expected to be opened later this week.”
Yesterday police revealed that detectives and crown prosecutors are to consider criminal charges over the apparent suicide. Miss Warren added: “The team of detectives are still expecting to speak to the Crown Prosecution Service.”
Today Mark Pritchard, Wrekin MP said: “I’ll be writing to ministers about reviewing the 1961 Suicide Act to incorporate activity on the internet, including chat rooms and websites.”
Tributes have poured in to the Paltalk chatroom and the Shropshire Star website since his death on Wednesday.
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9 Comments
can those responsible for kevins death be charged under the telegraphy and communications acts be charged for sending offensive messages over the airwaves or communications or something similar?.this is after all how the internet works by either sending material over the airwaves,along phone lines or a combination of both.
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How far are they going to stretch this? It takes A LOT more than a couple of people on a chatroom to push someone over the edge and make him kill himself. It is more than likely that Whitrick went into the chatroom already prepared to commit suicide on webcam. Rather than looking for an electronic scapegoat, authorities should be looking at what went wrong with his life that made him want to end it.
This is madness!
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i think paltalk should immediately close down all insult rooms…i think this was so horrible and i know for a fact that the room that this man was in is still open…i wasnt in that room i dont go to insult rooms i only go to the music rooms but i think paltalk should close down rooms where people insult others
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paltalk insulr rooms ! wrong paltalk mentalabuse rooms ! right
being a paltalk user myself and having been to many different rooms in paltalk over the years i can only describe these rooms as a places to comit terror acts and get away with it
well paltalk REDS wake up to your selves and do your jobs properly and close these rooms down like you should
or is it that half of you spend time in thoes rooms and condone these acts of TERROR.
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people who knew him i feel sorry for and i think its sick that people should be able to film this sort of thing as its sick
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what no ones been charged? no wonder why the uk is going down hill. its wrong that those people should get away with it .there just going to do it again and again , who will be next victim?. charge them with slander charge them with something jesus . no wonder why people are giving up on the police there a waist of space .that guy kevin could of been alive today and got help but thanks to the insult room they pushed him to the edge. i bet there will be a another suicide on there in the next few years because low life people who pick on on the weak . its mental abuse
the law is a failure in my eyes
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i think paltalk should immediately close down all insult rooms. i have been on paltalk from the start from wen it was called fire talk .one reason why paltalk is still running it all comes down to money and to the person that ownes paltalk i will not mention any names but he no’s who he is he should take action now and shut them sort of rooms down now he may have been on the edge but thay is no reason for other pepole to tip him over it .it just shows you what sick pepole go in them sort of room’s if you was to walk down the street and somebody was shouting abuse at you like thay do in them chat rooms the police would have to act let see some action now the next victum could be a child
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was just looking at paltalks terms on paltalk and it says . deems in its sole discretion to be harmful or offensive to other users is unacceptable for any reason or no reason whatsoever or otherwise detracts from the Paltalk service or adversely affects Paltalk, its business or software in any manner whatsoever. Without limiting the foregoing, examples of unacceptable conduct include: (a) threatening, harassing, or intimidating another user, (b) transmitting any unlawful, threatening, abusive, profane, offensive, defamatory, or hateful text or voice communication or Images or other material, or any racially, ethnically or otherwise.so why have thay not acted if that was one of my family i would sue them
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this is to kevins family hope you can all try and have a nice christmas as i think kevin would want you all to. i know its gonna be hard for ya all but hey try and be happy and merry christmas to all kevins family take care .
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