By TOM LAWRENCE, NEWS REPORTER
A Hollyoaks actor died after he was restrained and suffocated during an ‘extreme’ sex session with his Grindr date.
Michael Barron, 38, went to Josh Baxter’s flat in Blackley, north Manchester, in January 2025 after the pair exchanged explicit messages online.
During the encounter, Baxter strangled Michael with such force that he fractured a bone and cartilage in his neck.
Baxter also restrained Michael face-down on his bed with a rope and lay on top of him for a ‘prolonged period’, causing him to suffocate.
A lack of oxygen to Michael’s brain caused him to suffer a cardiac arrest and he sadly died.
Instead of immediately calling 999, Baxter started searching online about his chances of going to prison and left his flat to collect a takeaway delivery.
He was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm and intentional suffocation and jailed for four years. He was acquitted of manslaughter.
Baxter had previously denied all charges against him.
When Mr Barron arrived at the flat at 4.27pm on January 26 last year, they chatted about ‘general things’ including their favourite films.
The conversation soon turned to sex and what their ‘limits’ were. Baxter claimed Mr Barron said he did not want a ‘safe word’.
During the evening, both men tried to source some ketamine, then later went to a shop to buy more alcohol.
The last use of Mr Barron’s phone was at 5.45pm when there was a short call to a drug dealer, it was heard.
Between 7-7.56pm, Baxter also stopped using his phone. Prosecutors said it can be reasonably inferred’ that during that time they had sex.
The court heard Baxter restrained Mr Barron face-down on his bed and lay on top of him for a ‘prolonged period’.
Ms Whyte said: ‘He was choked at some stage, it would appear as though he was restrained by his wrists and ankles, face down throughout the sexual activity.
‘We know from the police search at the scene that the sex involved the use of a makeshift mask on Mr Barron.’
At 7.56pm, Baxter messaged other Grindr users as Mr Barron remained restrained, lying on the bed.
Baxter said he noticed Mr Barron’s face was purple, but that he could hear snoring, so he believed that Mr Barron was not ‘in trouble medically’.
At around 9pm, Baxter ordered two chicken burgers, fries and onion rings on Deliveroo.
After he collected the food from downstairs, Baxter said Mr Barron’s face had turned ‘deep purple’ and that he could no longer hear any snoring.
He carried out online searches, including ‘purple face while sleeping’, ‘how to tell if someone is alive’ and ‘how to tell if someone is breathing’.
He called 999 and was instructed to perform CPR on Mr Barron.
In the early hours of January 27, he Googled ‘is it illegal to f*** someone in their sleep even in you have their concent [sic]’; and ‘if you accidentally kill someone by strangling them during sex do you go to prison’.
Anne Whyte KC, prosecuting, told the trial Baxter had ‘quite specific sexual interests’, which he told Mr Barron about in a message on Grindr after they connected.
Baxter said he liked it ‘rough’ and asked if 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’. He also asked if Mr Barron would ‘do rape role play’.
Ms Whyte said: ‘In other words, Josh Baxter was sexually motivated by high-risk sexual activity.’
In the messages, Baxter and Mr Barron discussed what they liked and disliked sexually, with Mr Barron stating that he liked to be ‘tied, gagged, hooded, totally helpless’ and that he liked ‘pain and torture’.
Ms Whyte said: ‘We can see Mr Baxter telling Mr Barron that when he got to Mr Baxter’s flat, Mr Barron would start drinking vodka until he was so drunk he could barely walk.
‘Mr Baxter said he would then strip him and start raping and abusing him. Mr Barron consented to that and said Mr Baxter could force feed him vodka as well.’
Prosecutors said while Mr Barron was consenting to certain acts, it was ‘no defence’ if Baxter foresaw the risk that what he was going to do would affect Mr Barron’s breathing and that he might suffer serious harm as a result.
‘We suggest he foresaw the risk, and unreasonably took it precisely because the risks and control involved were part of the very specific sexual activity that he wanted to engage in,’ Ms Whyte KC said.
In her closing speech, Louise Sweet KC, Baxter’s barrister, 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.’
Baxter claimed the chats were ‘fantasy’ and that he never intended to hurt Mr Barron.
Asked about choking, he added: ‘I never saw it as a dangerous activity.’ He maintained the injury had been inflicted accidentally.
Speaking of the internet searches carried out by Baxter, Ms Sweet said he was in a situation of ‘real trauma’.
‘There is no normal reaction, only shock, disbelief, anxiety, numbness, fear,’ she added.
‘He was scared about what people would think of what he and Mr Barron had been doing.’
During sentencing at Minshull Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Tina Landale said Baxter had arranged to meet Mr Baxter ‘in order to have an extreme sexual encounter’.
The judge said she believed the defendant was ‘well aware of the dangers of choking’ and ‘decided to ignore’ warnings he had received about the practice.
Baxter had ‘encouraged’ his victim to become ‘extremely drunk’.
She also noted Baxter had admitted to a probation officer he had ‘repeatedly’ choked Mr Barron while he was tied face down with rope.
Judge Landale added that even though the encounter had been consensual, Parliament had ruled such activity was ‘inherently dangerous’ and that the ‘public must be protected from serious injury or unreasonable risk’.
She ‘rejected’ the defendant’s claim that he was remorseful.
Judge Landale said: ‘During your evidence, you demonstrated no insight into your behaviour or accepted responsibility whatsoever.’
She added that the defendant had shown a ‘poor understanding of consent and a limited insight into the risk of harm’.
Following the case, senior investigating Officer Detective Inspector Matthew Hamer of GMP’s Serious Crime Division said: ‘No sentence can ever replace the loss of a loved one, but we hope that now the trial has concluded, the family can start to move forward.
‘Baxter showed a complete disregard for Michael’s welfare, instead putting his own interests ahead of alerting the emergency services.
‘I hope that the time spent in custody will allow him the opportunity to reflect upon the consequences of his actions following Michael’s death.’
His family said in a statement: The tragic loss of Michael has devastated our family and left behind a space that can never be filled.
‘Michael had such a big personality and an infectious energy. He was kind, genuine, unique, charismatic and utterly full of life, love and ambition. He was a natural born storyteller and could captivate the attention of everyone in a room within minutes using his wit and humour alone.
‘Michael was deeply important to so many people, he was a wonderful son, brother and uncle. Above all, he was a great friend with a unique ability to make people feel seen and special and would gladly go out of his way to lift someone’s spirits if they were feeling down.
‘Growing up in Ireland in the 90s and 00s, as a gay man was not easy, but instead of hiding who he was Michael lived both loudly and proudly. His self-acceptance helped pave the way for others in the LGBT community. Though he left family behind when he left Waterford, he built a family of his own through friendships in Dublin, Liverpool and Manchester.
‘Since Michaels death we have had countless messages from friends he made throughout his life, all echoing the same sentiment. He gave people confidence, strength and pride in who they were. He taught others to stand tall, embrace life fully and live with joy and openness.
‘As Michael’s family, we could not be prouder of the man he was. We are so grateful for the years we shared with him and the many happy memories we will carry with us and cherish for the rest of our lives.
‘Now that the trial has concluded, we can finally begin to try and move forward and start to process our grief, we are deeply touched and grateful for the love, support and kindness that we have received.’
Source: dailymail.co.uk