An actor who appeared in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks died during ‘extreme’ sex with a date from Grindr.

Michael Barron, 38, played small roles in the ITV and Channel 4 soaps, one of which included a journalist in Emmerdale.

He went to a flat in North Manchester in January 2025 to meet Josh Baxter. The pair had exchanged explicit messages online.

During their encounter, Michael suffered a fractured bone and cartilage in his neck as a result of Baxter strangling him with great force. He also caused Michael to suffocate as he restrained the man face-down on his bed with a rope.

He was on top of Michael for a long time and due to the lack of oxygen to his brain, he suffered cardiac arrest and died.

Baxter left his flat to collect a takeaway afterwards instead of calling 999, and also searched online about his chances of going to prison.

The man has been convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm and intentional suffocation, and jailed for four years. He has been acquitted of manslaughter.

Baxter previously denied all the charges against him.

It is said that the last time Michael used his phone was at 5:45pm, making a brief call to a drug dealer.

At 7:56pm, Baxter began to message other Grindr users as Michael remained restrained on the bed. He said he noticed Michael’s face was purple but because he could hear snoring, he didn’t believe the man was ‘in trouble medically’.

At about 9pm, Baxter ordered a takeaway and then collected it from downstairs. He said Michael’s face had turned ‘deep purple’ and began searching online when he realised he had stopped snoring.

After online searches, which included ‘how to tell if someone is alive’ and ‘how to tell if someone is breathing’, Baxter called 999 and was given instructions to perform CPR.

On January 27, Baxter searched ‘if you accidentally kill someone by strangling them during sex do you go to prison’ and ‘is it illegal to f*** someone in their sleep even if you have their consent’.

Anne Whyte KC, who was prosecuting, told the trial that Baxter had ‘specific sexual interests’.

She also said: ‘He [Michael] 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.’

Baxter had asked Michael if he would ‘do rape role play’ and ‘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’.

Ms Whyte added: ‘In other words, Josh Baxter was sexually motivated by high-risk sexual activity. 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.’

Louise Sweet KC, Baxter’s barrister, said: ‘He 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 ‘never saw [choking] as a dangerous activity’ and claimed the conversations between him and Michael were ‘fantasy’. He said he never intended to hurt him.

Judge Landale believed that Baxter was ‘well aware of the dangerous of choking’ but ‘decided to ignore’ the warnings. They added that Baxter had previously admitted to an officer that he ‘repeatedly’ choked Michael while faced down and tied up with a rope.

The Judge also noted: ‘During your evidence, you demonstrated no insight into your behaviour or accepted responsibility whatsoever.’

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Matthew Hamer, from 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.’

Michael’s family shared 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.

They added: ‘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 Michael’s 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.’