Michael Barron: michael barron died after 'extreme' sex session, man jailed
michael barron, who had starred in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks and was understood to be a prominent figure in Liverpool's LGBT nightlife scene, died after an "extreme" sexual encounter at the flat of Josh Baxter. A jury found Baxter guilty of intentional strangulation or suffocation and unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm, and he has been jailed for four years.
Michael Barron and the encounter
Police and court material show Michael Barron, aged 38 and originally from Ireland, met 28-year-old Josh Baxter after the pair exchanged explicit messages on Grindr. The two spoke about sexual preferences and limits; Mr Barron reportedly said he liked to be "tied, gagged, hooded, totally helpless" and liked "pain and torture. " Baxter described himself as liking it "rough" and asked whether Mr Barron would let him "choke him, tie him up, pull his hair, spit on him, call him names, get him so drunk he was weak and defenceless and punch him. "
How the meeting unfolded
On the day Mr Barron died he arrived at Baxter's flat. The pair spoke about "general things, " including their favourite movies, before their conversation turned to sexual limits. Baxter tied Mr Barron up using rope; court material records Mr Barron was tied up in his bed and twice described as tied face down with rope. During the encounter Baxter repeatedly choked Mr Barron so hard prosecutors say it fractured a bone and cartilage in his neck.
Charges, trial and verdict
Baxter, of Lakeside Rise, Blackley, north Manchester, denied manslaughter, intentional strangulation or suffocation and unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm during a trial in January. A jury at Manchester Crown Court found him not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of intentional strangulation or suffocation and unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Judge's detailed sentencing remarks
At sentencing on Tuesday February 24, a judge told Baxter he had "decided to ignore" warnings he had received about choking. One judge, identified in court material as Tina Lindale, said: "You decided to ignore those warnings and during your trial in evidence you told the jury you still did not consider choking to be dangerous. " Another recorded sentencing reference, attributed to Judge Tina Landale, said Baxter had arranged to meet the 38-year-old budding actor "a man [he] had never met before in order to have an extreme sexual encounter" and that the defendant was "well aware of the dangers of choking" and had "decided to ignore" those dangers.
Medical findings and aftermath
Prosecutors said Mr Barron died after suffering a cardiac arrest following a lack of oxygen to the brain. Material in the case states Baxter suffocated the former soap actor for at least 30 minutes. The judge noted Baxter had "encouraged" Mr Barron to become "extremely drunk" and that Baxter had admitted to a probation officer he had "repeatedly" choked Mr Barron while he was tied face down with rope. The sentencing judge said during sexual activity Baxter choked Mr Barron so hard it "fractured a bone and cartilage in his neck. "
Prosecution and defence submissions
Prosecutor Anne Whyte KC told the court Baxter had "quite specific sexual interests" and that he was sexually motivated by high-risk activity. Ms Whyte KC said this formed part of the evidence presented at trial. In her closing statement Baxter's barrister Louise Sweet KC said: "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. " The judge said she rejected the defendant's claim of remorse, recording that "During your evidence you demonstrated no insight into your behaviour or accepted responsibility what-so-ever, " and that he showed a "poor understanding of consent and a limited insight into the risk of harm. "
After the encounter, court material records Baxter ordered a takeaway on Deliveroo, messaged several other men on Grindr and searched on Google the exact query: "If you accidentally kill someone by strangling them in sex do you go to prison. " Baxter showed no visible reaction as he was jailed for four years.
Official listing and material
Greater Manchester Police was listed in material connected with the case. The full sequence of events presented at trial ran from the initial Grindr messages through the meeting at Baxter's flat, the sexual encounter in which choking and rope restraint took place, medical collapse and subsequent death, the trial in January and sentencing on Tuesday February 24.
michael barron was a 38-year-old actor who had appeared in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks and was described in court material as a budding actor and a prominent figure in Liverpool's LGBT nightlife scene. The sentence imposed reflected the jury's guilty verdicts for intentional strangulation or suffocation and unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm.
