'I survived but that does not change the fact he tried to kill me - not with his hands, but with his words'

VICTIM TELLS OF LASTING IMPACT OF MEETING ONLINE PREDATOR

- By STAFF REPORTER

THE woman at the centre of a landmark court case has spoken out about the psychological torment she suffered at the hands of a man she thought was a friend.

Tyler Webb was jailed after becoming the first person in the UK to be charged with a new offence of encouraging serious self-harm.

Predator Webb, 23, had sought out the woman on an online forum for people needing support with their mental health, posing as a friend but then going on to encourage her to self-harm while he watched on video.

He also told her she had nothing to live for and suggested ways to kill herself.

The woman who cannot be named due to reporting restrictions imposed by the court - had a 19-day online friendship with Webb, with the pair talking for hours most days on Telegram, saying they loved each other and playing online games.

However, there was a sinister motive, with Webb often turning the conversation to darker matters.

Louise Oakley, prosecuting at Leicester Crown Court, described details of several interactions which are too graphic to be reported, and when the woman asked Webb if they could stop talking about murder and rape, he called her "boring" and claimed he was talking to another woman online who was pleasing him more seriously for him.

During a video call on July 2 last year, Webb, of King Street in Loughborough, told the vulnerable woman to take her own life and watched her prepare to do so.