The court heard that between February and March 2018, Mr Ballard had been in contact with Gina via an online forum.

James Bourne-Arton KC, prosecuting, said the messages they exchanged had included details of “what methods to use” and “how to obtain equipment”.

He added: “If that’s not encouraging someone to commit suicide, then I don’t know what is.”

The court heard that when Ballard was arrested in December 2020, he had initially told police he had not been in contact with Gina.

However, 18 months later he admitted sending the messages but told police he believed they “were engaged in role play or fantasy and did not intend to commit suicide and did not intend to encourage her to commit suicide either”.

Nick Johnson KC, for Mr Ballard, said the defendant had “acted disgracefully and made the worst mistake of his life”.

He told the jury that his client’s autism spectrum disorder may explain why he did not suspect Gina was serious about taking her own life.

He also said that Gina “was deliberately unclear as to whether she was serious or not”.