Webcam girl, 21, suffocated herself to death as ‘snuff porn’ sicko encouraged her to perform ‘degrading’ sex act online
A WOMAN suffocated to death as she performed "degrading" sex acts online for a "snuff porn" sicko, an inquest heard today.
Hope Barden, 21, of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffs., had been engaged in acts that became increasingly dangerous over three months - before her body was found by her flatmate last year.
Hope was a care worker but had been earning extra cash on the side as a webcam girl.
She was in an online relationship with Jerome Dangar - a 45-year-old pub landlord who lived 250 miles away Cornwall.
Police say Dangar was online as Hope died during "sexually-related role play" - and he made no attempt to alert the emergency services "to the danger he had put her in".
'SNUFF PORN' STASH
Danger was arrested in connection with her death and police found a stash of disgusting abuse videos, including threats to life and serious genital injuries.
He was convicted of possession of extreme pornographic images in January 2019 and jailed for 15 months.
But he was found dead in prison before he could face charges over Hope's dead.
Hope's family has today revealed their devastation as a coroner returned a verdict of unlawful killing.
Hope was left to die. Hope's family and friends have been devastated
Kate Barden
Her mum Kate Barden said she was devastated by her "beautiful" and "intelligent" daughter's death - and at the injustice the man involved would never face justice.
She said: “Hope had been earning extra money working in the online adult film industry.
"Unregulated, this industry serves no one except those who wish to perpetrate violence against women.
"Hope became the subject of interest of a regular user of the site who paid her to perform sexual acts via the internet, which over three months of contact escalated into degrading and dangerous situations.
"We are sorely disappointed that this case can no longer bring any legal justice for Hope."
Hope had just finished her foundation degree in adolescent mental health, and was working with people with learning disabilities.
She had also just returned from Norway.
A post mortem found the young woman had died of asphyxiation before being found in her home on 15 March 2018.
Police launched an investigation into the tragedy, arresting Dangar two months later.
They submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider charging Dangar with the manslaughter of Hope, alleging he had been online when she died and didn't call for help.
But he was found dead in his HMP Dartmoor prison cell in April this year.
MORE VICTIMS POSSIBLE
A pathologist who examined Dangar's extreme pornography collection said there was a strong possibility the videos weren’t staged and some of the subjects died during the filming process.
This suggests other victim's of Dangar's twisted addiction may lie out there.
Staffordshire Police confirmed the pair had been in contact via an adult website but the act which led to her death was a "private arrangement conducted on social media".
Hope's mum Kate said: "Had this gone to court, this would be a landmark case, the first of its kind in the UK.
"As it is, we will be issuing our report and findings to every police force in the UK in the trust that should a dreadful situation like this arise again, there is a record of how we approached such a sensitive and difficult issue.
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
Kate Barden
"Anyone with daughters or other relatives involved in this terrible industry must be aware of the risk of harm. 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. Hope's family and friends have been devastated."
SAFETY NET: How to keep your child safe online
The Internet can be an amazing tool to help children learn and play.
But with the digital world changing all the time, how can you make sure your child is safe?
Set up parental controls
- Parental controls can be used to block upsetting or harmful content, control in-app purchases or manage how long your child spends online
- The filters can help control what time of day your child can go online, and to stop them from downloading apps they are too young for
Talk to your children
- Have regular conversations about what your child is doing online
- Explore sites and apps together
- Talk about what personal information they should share online
- Create a family agreement about what behaviour is appropriate when they are online
Do your research
- Check through websites your child will use through the
- Change privacy settings and turning off location sharing
If you need help now, you can phone experts on the free NSPCC & O2 helpline 0808 800 5002
Detective Inspector John Quilty, from Staffordshire CID, said: "The death of Dangar ultimately prevented prosecutors from charging him in connection with Hope’s death as a result of sexually-related role play.
"This type of online sexual activity is extremely dangerous and the repeated persuasion and dangerous requests that Dangar placed on Hope ultimately led to her death.
"Hope was a 21-year-old woman and her death was tragic. Throughout the investigation our officers have remained in contact with Hope’s family and have updated them with details. Our thoughts remain with them.
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"We are also grateful for the support from Hope’s friends, as well as her family."
DI Quilty said Staffordshire Police could continue to investigate any similar behaviour, saying it should send "a strong deterrent message to those who engage in such dangerous sexual acts".
It comes after The Sun Online revealed how perverts target underage girls with sick messages on the website Snog.fm.
