Woman Died While Performing 'Dangerous' Sex Acts Online For Money

A woman died while performing “dangerous and degrading” webcam sex acts in the United Kingdom. A coroner ruled Wednesday that Hope Barden, 21, suffocated to death when she strangled herself during the act for a man online.

According to reports, Barden was moonlighting as a webcam girl to make extra cash. Jerome Dangar, 45, allegedly paid her to strangle herself. He then watched as she suffocated on live cam. Barden died on March 15, 2018, while performing the act and Dangar made no attempt to raise any emergency response when he saw she was in danger.

An inquest into her death ruled that the incident was an unlawful killing. Barden's distraught family said she was “left to die” by Dangar, who encouraged the young girl to perform increasingly dangerous sex acts during their three-month relationship.

Barden's body was found by her roommate in Burton-upon-Trent before police eventually arrested the pub landlord in connection with her death in May.

Police suggested that Danger should be charged with manslaughter. However, days after the North Cornwall man was arrested in an unrelated incident, he was found dead in his prison cell on April 15 this year. This prevented him from being prosecuted in Barden's death, according to Fox News.

“Anyone with daughters or other relatives involved in this terrible industry must be aware of the risk of harm,” her mother Kate Barden said in a statement released through Staffordshire Police. “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.”

Dangar was separately convicted of possession of extreme pornographic images in January 2019 and jailed for 15 months.

“The death of Dangar ultimately prevented prosecutors from charging him in connection with Hope’s death as a result of sexually related role-play,” Detective Inspector John Quilty from Staffordshire Police said. “Hope was a 21-year-old woman and her death was tragic."