American Nurse Talked British Man Into Suicide For Web Thrill

A former US nurse who got off on encouraging depressed and suicidal people in chat rooms to kill themselves have been found guilty of two counts of aiding suicide - including that of a British man. 

William Melchert-Dinkel surfed the internet posing as a depressed woman planning her own death and looking for others who might want to form a suicide pact.

He took part in online chats about suicide with up to 20 people at a time and entered into fake suicide pacts with about 10, five of whom he believed killed themselves.

Among those he contacted was Mark Drybrough, 32, from Coventry, who hanged himself in 2005.

In 2008 an 18-year-old girl called Nadia Kajouji from Ottawa jumped into a river in 2008 wearing ice skates. Her body was found more than a month after she was reported missing.

Nadia Kajouji had told Melchert-Dinkel in an online chat of her plan to make her death appear like an accident.

The 48-year-old, who was charged in April with two counts of aiding suicide, had declined a jury trial and was found guilty by a judge in Faribault, Minnesota.

Lawyer Paul Beaumaster said Melchert-Dinkel told police he did it for the "thrill of the chase".

The judge said: "The defendant never tried to discourage either victim from committing death by suicide.

"Rather, the facts indicate repeated and relentless encouragement by defendant to complete the suicide."

A British woman who used a chatroom where people discussed suicidal thoughts warned Minnesota police in March 2008 that she suspected an online predator of encouraging suicides. She later said she suspected Melchert-Dinkel.

A police investigation found emails from at least six others who had been advised by him on how to commit suicide by hanging, including tips on knot-tying.

Melchert-Dinkel asked one potential victim to use a webcam to record her hanging and told a man to practice beforehand to ensure a successful hanging.

His lawyers accepted his actions were "sick" and "abhorrent" but argued the victims were predisposed to committing suicide and their client didn't sway them by making statements online.

He faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced on May 4.

Source: Sky News