The families and survivor of loved ones whose deaths are linked to a suicide forum and a poisonous substance are calling for a public inquiry into missed opportunities to protect those vulnerable
In a dark recess of the Internet exists a suicide forum where death is suggested as casually as going for a stroll. It’s been linked to the sale of a deadly poison, used by vulnerable people in the UK to take their own lives.
Now, bereaved families and a survivor are calling on the government to hold a public inquiry into why more hasn’t been done to protect people from the website in the UK, which remains accessible by VPN.
In a letter penned to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the families claim they were “let down by a State that was too slow to respond to threats”. They’re now demanding a statutory response to ensure that vulnerable young people aren’t put at risk of “entirely preventable harm”.
It comes as a new report by suicide prevention charity, the Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) reveals three Government departments received dozens of raised concerns from coroners about the risks of further deaths from suicide forums. Coroners also rang the alarm over a poisonous substance, which was promoted by one forum as a method by which to take one’s own life.
The substance is believed to have caused at least 133 deaths in the UK, but the number may be even higher. Concerningly, both the forum and substance’s victims tended to be in their early 20s, with the youngest known victim being 13. The Mirror has taken the editorial decision not to name the forum or substance.
The letter to the Prime Minister reads: “We write as families whose loved ones were let down by a State that was too slow to respond to the threats, which despite multiple warnings has failed to act to save lives and prevent harm.
“This series of failings requires a statutory response, not just to understand why our loved ones died but also to prevent more lives being lost in a similar way. What is important now is not blame but change that will mean more vulnerable young people are not put at risk of entirely preventable harm.”
READ MORE: Ofcom issues update on suicide forum as charity calls for it to be taken downREAD MORE: ‘My daughter died thirty minutes after receiving a poison in the post – she was failed’
In addition to the letter sent by the families, a letter has also been sent by law firm Leigh Day on behalf of seven of their clients who have lost loved ones due to the substance and engagement with the online forum. The legal letter requests that the government exercises its powers to hold a statutory public inquiry into the undetermined number of deaths through ingestion of the substance purchased online.
Analysis from MRF and the lived experience group Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms found coroners have raised concerns about either the substance or suicide forums with DSIT/DCMS, the Home Office and Department of Health at least 65 times since 2019. The Mirror has reached out the Department of Health for comment.
Assisting in another person’s suicide is an offence under the Suicide Act 1961. Meanwhile, the Online Safety Act 2023 places duties on social media companies and search services to protect the safety of adults and children on their sites.
Yet, the report argues that government departments have repeatedly overlooked warnings and have instead issued “repetitive responses” and have often shifted responsibility between each other.
They also say that operational responses have resulted in missed opportunities, including inconsistent police welfare checks and slow uptake by ambulance services to stock an antidote to the substance.
The report also found that over half of the victims were known to local support services, indicating numerous missed opportunities where intervention might have been able to prevent deaths.
A DSIT spokesperson told The Mirror: “Suicide devastates families and we are unequivocal about the responsibilities online services have to keep people safe on their platforms.
“Under the Online Safety Act, services must take action to prevent users from accessing illegal suicide and self-harm content and ensure children are protected from harmful content that promotes it. If they fail to do so, they can expect to face robust enforcement, including substantial fines.
“Where platforms deliberately target UK children and promote VPN use, they could face enforcement action, including significant financial penalties.”
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The MRF report has also called out Ofcom as “failing to take necessary steps to prevent the ongoing threat posed by the pro-suicide forum to UK users”.
The suicide forum was the first target of an Ofcom investigation under the Online Safety Act, which launched in April 2025. The US-based site responded to enforcement proceedings by implementing a geo-block to restrict access by people with UK IP addresses.
But in the report, MRF stated that the announcement of the geoblock signalled that Ofcom would choose to rely on voluntary measures from the forum’s founders, which they deem “insufficient”. They also say the regulator signalled that it will not take further enforcement action despite the forum still being readily available via a VPN.
An Ofcom spokesperson told The Mirror: “In response to our enforcement action, the online suicide forum put in place a geoblock to restrict access by people with UK IP addresses.
“Services that choose to block access by people in the UK must not encourage or promote ways to avoid these restrictions. This forum remains on Ofcom’s watchlist and our investigation remains open while we check that the block is maintained.”
Furthermore, the Home Office has declined to strengthen regulation of the substance, despite repeated calls, according to the report. They argue that it remains easy for vulnerable people to procure the substance from domestic sellers, while the UK Border Force struggles to respond to imports from malign sellers based overseas. The Mirror has reached out to the Home Office for comment.
The report also found that, in cases where it was recorded, all of those who had purchased the poisonous substance had done so online. Only six reports mentioned specific sellers, including two mentions of Amazon and four mentions of eBay.
The substance was bought through eBay between February and August 2020 – despite a 2021 eBay response to a PFD stating that the company had globally prohibited the sale of the substance two years earlier. eBay told The Mirror: “We are deeply saddened by these tragic deaths and we extend our condolences to the families of those affected.
“This substance has been prohibited for sale on eBay globally since 2019,” the statement continued. “Since then, we have continued to strengthen our enforcement through block filter algorithms, and AI-supported monitoring by our team of in-house specialists. eBay also takes enforcement action against any seller trying to list prohibited items, and we will continue to work tirelessly to prevent the sale of such items.”
The report also found that in eight cases, victims had accessed specific publications detailing various suicide methods that included the use of the substance. These included full-length books, online ‘guides’ or ‘ebooks’ available for download or physical purchase on Amazon.
One 29-year-old man was described as being ‘careful and methodical in the actions he took to end his own life’ after referring to a ‘handbook’.
Meanwhile a Prevention of Future Death report for a 24-year-old states: “The [ebook] appears to provide step by step instruction on how to end your life using certain methods, including how to make the death appear to be due to natural causes.” The Mirror has reached out to Amazon for comment.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones personally affected by suicide,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. “Customer safety is a top priority at Amazon. We are committed to a safe shopping experience and require our selling partners to follow all applicable laws and regulations when listing items in our store.
“High concentrations [of this substance] are not intended for direct consumption, and unfortunately, like many products, it can be misused. To minimise the potential for misuse, we have limited the sale of high concentrations of this product to business buyers on Amazon Business since October 2022,” the statement concluded.
Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “This report paints clear how repeated failures of the State to protect its vulnerable citizens mean that the nihilistic potential of a suicide forum has cost countless lives.
“It is inexplicable that Ofcom has left the fate of a forum that exists to groom and coerce others to end their lives in its own hands rather than take swift and decisive action to legally shut it down in the UK.
“Nothing less than a public inquiry is now needed to learn the countless lessons and act on them to save lives.”
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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