Suicide By Social Media

For six weeks, Daniella Scott was groomed by an online figure who convinced her he was her best friend – until he asked her to commit the unspeakable. What happened over the next few weeks is one of the most shocking stories you will read all year 

The eyes staring back at me are kind and inviting. His face is framed by dark hair, scruffy three-day stubble and a pair of geeky metal-rimmed glasses. We’ve been talking non-stop for weeks and this is the first time I’ve seen his face: the face of the man I’ve confided in about my darkest, most personal thoughts. “I care about you,” he tells me. “I am always here for you.” He says he wants the best for me, that I can trust him to look after me and, most importantly, that he is the person who is going to guide me through a series of tasks, culminating in my suicide in 50 days’ time. This is what ‘best friends’ do, he tells me.