Warning: This article contains references to suicide 

A jury in the case of a Bradford man charged with encouraging or assisting a Dutch teenager to die by suicide via online messages has retired to consider its verdict.

Christopher Ballard, 43, of Clayton Road, is on trial at Bradford Crown Court with the Honourable Mrs Justice Lambert DBE presiding.

The court has heard that Gina Van Houten, who lived in Amsterdam, posted a message in February 2018 on the Forumjar website under the title “Suicide pact Netherlands”.

It read: “Hi, my name is Gina. I am a 14-year-old female and I am planning to commit suicide. I would rather do it with someone else than alone. I am asking if you are willing to do it with me.”

Ballard, a shift worker at a plastics factory, made contact and, over the next three weeks, sent a flurry of messages that discussed methods in which she could end her life and locations where she could do so, the court heard. 

He also told Gina that he worked in a hospital and could access “strong medicines” that cause sleepiness.

When Gina asked how old he was, he said 34. She divulged that she was just 14.

She wrote that she wanted to know more about Ballard, observing; “We are going to die together” but that they knew hardly anything about each other, the trial heard. 

The two were in contact between February 17 and March 3. Gina was found dead in the bathroom of her home by her mother on March 28.

Part of a “farewell letter” discovered after her death read: “I am not here anymore when you read this. I want everyone to know that it was my own will.”

Prosecutor James Bourne-Arton KC told Bradford Crown Court that the case against Ballard focused on the messages that he sent, which were capable of encouraging Gina to die by suicide and that that was what the sender intended.

He said she accepted what Ballard told her as genuine – that he too wanted to take his own life – as opposed to fantasy role-play.

Called to the witness box by his barrister Nicholas Johnson KC, Ballard told the court that he sent the messages in 2018 but denied encouraging Gina to die by suicide.

He said: “To me, I thought it was pretend role play.”

When Mr Johnson asked how he felt when he found out the girl had taken her own life, Ballard said: “It’s such a tragic loss. It’s sad, isn’t it.”

Ballard, who had relationships with two women, admitted to having difficulty with “face to face communication” and preferred texting instead.

He talked about how he enjoyed role-playing games and described games as a “getaway from life”.

Asked by Mr Bourne-Acton asked whether he realised that what he was doing was wrong, Ballard replied: “I was just messaging her. I never intended to encourage her or anybody to commit suicide.”

 

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