Michael Barron died in 'extreme' sex session, man jailed after conviction for strangulation and GBH
The actor michael barron, known for roles in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, died after what has been described as an "extreme" sexual encounter that involved rope and suffocation. The case moved through a trial in January and ended with a jury convicting the man involved of intentional strangulation or suffocation and unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Michael Barron’s career and age
Michael Barron had previously appeared in the soaps Emmerdale and Hollyoaks during his acting career. The TV actor was 38 years old at the time of his death.
Josh Baxter and Grindr contact
The deceased connected on Grindr with Josh Baxter, 28, and the pair exchanged explicit messages on the platform. Prosecutors said Baxter and Barron had discussed their sexual preferences while using Grindr and that Baxter had "quite specific sexual interests, " a point emphasised during the trial by prosecutor Anne Whyte KC.
The session: rope, suffocation and injuries
On the day of the fatal encounter, Barron arrived at Baxter's flat and the two spoke about general topics, including their favourite movies, before turning to their sexual "limits. " Baxter has said Barron did not want to use a "safe word" during their sexual contact. Prosecutors say Baxter tied Barron up with rope and suffocated him for at least 30 minutes. Medical evidence presented at trial found that choking during the encounter fractured a bone and cartilage in Barron's neck.
Trial in January and jury verdict
Baxter denied charges of manslaughter, intentional strangulation or suffocation, and unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm during a trial in January. The jury returned a mixed verdict: not guilty of manslaughter, but guilty of intentional strangulation or suffocation and guilty of unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm. The man involved has since been jailed.
Judge Tina Lindale's sentencing remarks and legal arguments
During sentencing, Judge Tina Lindale said Baxter had ignored warnings and that he had told the jury he did not consider choking to be dangerous. The judge stated: "You encouraged Mr Barron to become extremely drunk. During sexual activity you choked Mr Barron so hard it fractured a bone and cartilage in his neck. You were reckless in doing so. "
In closing submissions, prosecutor Anne Whyte KC argued that Baxter foresaw the risks and unreasonably embraced them because the risk and control were intrinsic to the sexual activity he wanted to pursue: "We suggest he foresaw the risk and unreasonably took it precisely because the risks and control involved were part of the very specific sexual activity that he wanted to engage in. " Baxter's barrister, Louise Sweet KC, told the jury that if Baxter had any role in Barron's death it was not intended by him and that he never imagined Mr Barron would come to harm: "He [Mr Baxter] says if there is any possibility that he contributed to Mr Barron's death, it was not intended by him, and never did he imagine in a million years that he would come to harm, and therefore it was not reckless. "
Other items and official notices
A post from Greater Manchester Police bore the headline "Just a moment... " and a separate item carried the heading "Verifying Device. " Unclear in the provided context is any further content or explanation tied to those headings.
What makes this notable is the combination of explicit pre-arranged sexual practices, a dispute over the presence of safeguards such as a safe word, and the jury's differentiation between manslaughter and deliberate acts of strangulation and grievous bodily harm. The conviction and subsequent jailing underline the court's finding that the physical acts during the encounter crossed into criminal violence rather than consensual, non-harmful conduct.
The actor michael barron’s death has prompted a criminal sentence for the man convicted of choking and inflicting grievous bodily harm, while details about sentence length were not provided in the available information.
