Media Ethics: Online Suicide

British man commits suicide online. Police in Shropshire are investigating the death of a man who apparently committed suicide while talking to friends online via a webcam.

Kevin Whitrick, a father of two, shocked chat-room users when he appeared to hang himself from the ceiling of his home on Wednesday night. He was pronounced dead by police who forced their way into his home in Wellington after being alerted to the incident by an internet user. Whitrick was pronounced dead at the scene. "An investigation into all the circumstances surrounding his death has been launched and police can now confirm that Mr Whitrick was using a webcam in an internet chat room at the time of his death," a West Mercia Police spokesman said.