UK: Coroner warning after eight suicide deaths in Greater Manchester linked to online poison sales

[Jojogu]

A senior coroner has raised alarm over the sale of a deadly poison online after eight people in Greater Manchester took their own lives using a chemical bought through the internet.

Timothy Brennand, the senior coroner for Manchester West, revealed the cluster of deaths in Bolton, Wigan, and Salford in a series of reports aimed at preventing future deaths.

He has called on the Home Office to review guidance around online sales of hazardous substances.

The unnamed substance, described only as a food preservative and reportable poison, was found to have been sold in at least 247 separate transactions across the UK and Europe.

Police investigations linked the chemical to 45 deaths and discovered 40 others had planned to use it to take their own lives.

Mr Brennand said the suppliers were not aware of this potential misuse of the substance.

He added that sellers wrongly believed the surge in purchases was related to increased interest in home-curing/food preservation as a hobby, during lockdown.

In reality, many were buying it to end their lives, often after visiting suicide-related websites that offer instructions on how to use such poisons.

Among those who died was Kelly Walsh, 45, from Wigan.

She was described as a "bubbly" woman who dreamed of launching children's books and charity projects, but tragically ended her life in February 2021. She had bought the substance from an online supplier in Lithuania.

Matthew O'Reilly, 18, a student from Stoke-on-Trent, was found dead in his Salford student flat in 2020. His family described him as "the perfect son".

Samuel Dickenson, 33, a father-of-two from Leigh, died after taking chemicals from a so-called "suicide pack" he purchased online in March 2020.

Other deaths included Matthew Price, 37, from Bolton, Shaun Bass, 23, from Bolton, Andrew Brown, 45, from Wigan, William Armstrong, 24, and Chantelle Williams, who died after taking the substance while in hospital in Salford.

Mr Brennand criticised current Home Office guidance for failing to help sellers identify suspicious purchases. He warned that websites "promoting suicide methods" are freely accessible and pose a clear public risk.

The Home Office now has 56 days to respond to the coroner's concerns.

ITV News

 

[DarkShadows]

I think it's worth mentioning this:

Fact-checking British SN hysteria.

So, I have posted several threads debunking the SN hysteria in the past[1][2]. It sadly happens that the media hypes up and overestimates how many people use SN as a popular method to end their own life when in reality it is more an obscure niche method than anything else. And the same thing has...

sanctioned-suicide.net

A lot of these deaths are from years ago when it was being sold on sites like Ebay. EBay banned SN sales years ago.

 

[darksouls]

thanks for the information

 

[leloyon]

Angloid Jannies geddoutta'ere

 

[SilentSadness]

That's a strange (psychopathic?) response though, eight people in their area kill themselves and they raise an alarm about the method of ctb. You would think that they would consider why these people ctb. Instead they give these horrifically manipulative obituaries like about what they "dreamed of", which implies they were murdered.

 

[jbdCkFqV]

That's a strange (psychopathic?) response though, eight people in their area kill themselves and they raise an alarm about the method of ctb. You would think that they would consider why these people ctb. Instead they give these horrifically manipulative obituaries like about what they "dreamed of", which implies they were murdered.

It's dismissive of the deceased, like they couldn't possibly have a complex inner life that brought them to suicide.