The online sex industry has been under scrutiny for a while now, and it looks like attention to it might get even more serious.
Reports indicate that a 21-year-old woman named Hope Barden from the UK might have taken her own life by accident while performing on webcam for a client in March 2018. A coroner confirmed the ruling this week.
The man, Jerome Dangar, 45, reportedly specifically paid the woman to strangle herself and did not alert authorities when he realized that she might be in danger.
This was not the first time the two had engaged online, as they had reportedly had a several-month relationship leading up to the incident.
Dangar was convicted in a separate case in January 2019 for possession of extreme pornography.
The alleged customer was later found dead in his prison cell. It is not clear if his death was related to the incident, or if it was a coincidence, but police have been reluctant to release more information so far.
The woman was initially discovered by her roommate in their apartment, which led to the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of her customer, a local landlord.
Dangar’s exact involvement in her death has not yet been confirmed beyond the allegations that he had requested her to perform the degrading act on herself.
Many have come forward to express their condolences to Barden’s loved ones, pointing out that she was beautiful and intelligent, and did not deserve to go this way.
Barden’s mother, Kate Barden, stated: “Anyone with daughters or other relatives involved in this terrible industry must be aware of the risk of harm.”
She added: “A duty of care exists in any relationship. If someone is obviously in danger, one has a legal obligation to take steps to help. In this tragic case, Hope was left to die. We are sorely disappointed that this case can no longer bring any legal justice for Hope.”
At the same time, a lot of anger that was initially directed at the alleged perpetrator has now subsided after reports of the man’s death.
Still, some are not satisfied with the outcome of the case as a whole at all.
