Latest news with #MatthewO'Reilly
Wales Online
01-07-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Website nobody can shut down linked to dozens of deaths
Website nobody can shut down linked to dozens of deaths The US-based website has been strongly condemned by a coroner after a 'cluster' of eight deaths (L-R) Matthew O'Reilly, Kelly Walsh and Samuel Dickenson (Image: Family handouts ) A controversial online forum linked to several suicides in Greater Manchester is still active, despite repeated warnings from police and a senior coroner. Manchester West coroner Timothy Brennand has raised concerns that the site may be putting more lives at risk. The Manchester Evening News, which first reported the story, has chosen not to name the forum because of its harmful content. The forum has been mentioned in at least six suicide inquests in Greater Manchester. These include the deaths of 45-year-old Kelly Walsh, 18-year-old university student Matthew O'Reilly, and Samuel Dickenson, a 33-year-old father of two. Their deaths involved a dangerous substance discussed on the site. Mr Brennand has written to the Home Office warning that more lives could be lost if the forum continues to operate without action. Useful numbers for dealing with your mental health There's help available if you need it: Mind Cymru infoline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm. To contact them call 0300 123 3393. Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (in the UK and Republic of Ireland this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill). C.A.L.L. (Community Advice & Listening Line) offers emotional support and information/literature on mental health and related matters to the people of Wales and can be contacted on 0800 132 737 or through the website. The NHS offers help and advice through its 111 service. He said police had found that people could easily access websites, mostly based in other countries, that give detailed information about how to take their own lives, including where to find dangerous materials and how to use them. He added that between 2022 and 2023, police linked 45 deaths in the UK and Europe to the use of one particular method shared online. Another 40 people were found to have bought materials with the intention of ending their lives. Article continues below Detective Inspector Andrew Wright, speaking at the inquest into Kelly Walsh's death, said forum users often shared instructions and encouraged others who were thinking about suicide. He explained that many of the posts offer advice on how to get the materials used in these cases. The website currently has more than 56,000 members and over 2.8 million posts. Some of these are personal stories of suicide attempts and deaths, often shared in distressing detail. Despite this, the site still appears to be available in the UK, including to young people. The forum's home page also includes a response to the Ofcom investigation, describing it as a 'clear and unprecedented overreach by a foreign regulator against a U.S-based platform'. It adds: "We reject this interference and will be defending the site's existence and mission." Ged Flynn, chief executive of suicide prevention charity Papyrus, said that online forums like this can be especially harmful to young people and others who are struggling. 'Those who peddle the gratuitous promotion of self-harm and suicide content online must weigh up the consequences before putting their work before the public, particularly young people and those who may be vulnerable,' he said. 'We believe many suicides can be prevented and we all have a role to play in making our communities suicide-safer. Young people need to know they are not alone and that professional help and advice is available right now. 'There is nothing better in our darkest hour to have a conversation with a person who can help us to navigate emotional distress and keep us suicide-safe. Our professional advisors are a lifeline to young people, their parents and friends when suicidal thinking becomes a reality.' Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, started investigating the site in April under the new Online Safety Act. The law requires websites and apps to protect users in the UK from harmful and illegal content, including anything that encourages suicide. A spokesperson said: 'In March, duties under the Online Safety Act came into force that mean service providers must now take steps to protect their UK users from illegal content and activity – including encouraging or assisting suicide. 'In April, we launched our first investigation under the Act, which was into the provider of an online suicide forum. Due to its nature, we have decided not to name the provider and forum. 'We made several attempts to engage with this provider in respect of its duties under the Act and issued a legally binding request to tell us what steps are being taken to protect UK users from illegal content. 'Having received a limited response to our request, and unsatisfactory information, we launched an investigation into whether the provider is complying with its legal obligations under the Act. We are currently gathering and analysing evidence to determine whether a contravention has occurred. 'If our assessment indicates a compliance failure, we will issue a provisional notice of contravention to the provider, who can then make representations on our findings, before we make our final decision. We will provide an update on this investigation as soon as possible.' If the site is found to be breaking the law, Ofcom has the power to fine it up to £18 million or 10 percent of its global income. In serious cases, the regulator can also ask internet companies or payment providers to block access to the site from within the UK. Article continues below A government spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those who have tragically lost their lives in these incidents. 'We have received the Future Prevention of Deaths Report from the coroner and we will consider it carefully. The Government keeps dangerous substances under constant review to ensure appropriate regulation and controls are in place. 'We also expect retailers to report any attempted or suspicious transactions of restricted materials under the Poisons Act, especially where the buyer may intend to cause harm to themselves or others. The Online Safety Act also requires platforms to remove illegal content, including that which encourages people to self-harm or take their own lives.'
Daily Mirror
05-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Urgent warning as 45 people die after buying food preservative poison online
A coroner has identified at least EIGHT British victims who have used online forums for advice about ending their lives and purchasing an unnamed chemical used as a food preservative A food preservative poison has been used by at least 45 people to commit suicide after searching online forums for advice about ending their lives, a coroner warned today. Eight British victims - Matthew O'Reilly, Samuel Dickinson, Shaun Bass, Matthew Price, Chantelle Williams, Kelly Walsh, William Armstrong and Andrew Brown - have been identified after taking the unnamed poisonous chemical. Cops have launched a global probe and traced 85 people in the UK and Europe who had either died after taking the poison or purchased it with a view to ending their lives, it has been revealed. At least 45 of those are known to have died, it was confirmed. Details of the deaths emerged in eight separate Prevention of Future Death reports issued by Senior Coroner for Manchester West, Timothy Brennand. Writing to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, to raise concerns, he said that reporting restrictions had been imposed on the cases due to an "ongoing criminal investigation in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America". In his reports into the "cluster" of eight deaths in his region, he did not identify the poison except to say it is a food preservative but also "reportable poison as well as a reportable explosives precursor". "The police investigation into one UK based source of supply revealed in 247 cases separate supplies of 500 grams of less of [REDACTED] to customers in the UK and Europe, police established that 85 of these individuals who were traceable had either died as the consequence of self-ingestion of the substance, or had purchased it with a view to having the means to use this method to end their life in circumstances," he said. In each of these instances, he said: "The vendors of the [REDACTED] were not aware of this potential misuse of the substance. "The small quantities being purchased had been incorrectly evaluated to be an increase in individuals pursuing recreational home-curing/food preservations as a hobby, being an artefact of 'lockdown' living following the COVID national pandemic emergency. "Vendors were unaware that their website/details were being distributed as part of internet information platforms designed to aid, abet, assist or promote suicide methods. "From the specific example of 247 supplies in a 12 month period, police established that 45 purchasers were confirmed as deceased (these deaths were in relation to supplies to UK customers and purchasers from abroad) and only 15 purchases were confirmed to have taken place for legitimate purposes." Mr Brennand also warned about the availability of websites that give advice on how to take your own life. He wrote: "The police investigation revealed the ability of members of the public to access a number of websites, primarily created in the USA, Canada and Mexico that promoted information as to how to access: A) Poisons that could bring about death b) How, in what way and with with other necessary preparations (in particular -antiemetic medications) the poisons should be administered. c. Sourcing such poisons/chemicals/medications in the UK and abroad." Student Matthew O'Reilly, 18, was discovered collapsed and unresponsive within his locked room at his student accommodation in Salford, Greater Manchester in September 2020. He died from a 'deliberate act of recent self-ingestion,' Mr Brennand said. Samuel Dickenson, 33, died in March 2020 in Wigan having left a suicide note. "Police recovered a padded postal envelope addressed to the deceased next to an opened sealable sachet bag labelled '[REDACTED] – Pure 99.9% 50g' that the deceased had acquired on the 21st of February 2020 from an internet-based company licensed to sell controlled poisons, including [REDACTED]," Mr Brennand said. Shaun Bass, 23, died in February 2020, in Bolton "having ingested a significant quantity of [REDACTED] that he had acquired earlier in the month from an internet-based company licensed to sell reportable poisons". He had suffered from depression and anxiety. Mathew Price, 37, died in June 2021, at his home in Bolton. "Post-mortem samples revealed the deceased had recently consumed a significant and fatally toxic quantity of [REDACTED]," his Prevention of Future Death report said. "[An] email sent to family members contained unequivocal expressions of the deceased's intention." Andrew Brown, 45, was found dead in August 2023 in circumstances that puzzled investigators as his motive still remains 'unclear'. Mr Brown - who had a history of mental health issues - obtained the poison online months before his death, was found by a family member, and was found with an "Advanced Decision to Refuse Treatment" document by his bed. The coroner said the most likely scenario that led to his death was a "fleeting, ill-considered, irrational self-harming ideation". William Armstrong, 24, purchased the poison on the internet "from a source in Russia", having shown symptoms of a psychotic illness. Mr Armstrong checked into a hotel, ingested the poison and 15 minutes later called 999 to report what happened. He was dead when they arrived 90 minutes later. Kelly Walsh, 45, was found dead in February 2021 at home in Atherton, having ordered the poison "from an internet-based supplier in Lithuania". Her actions were "deliberate and intentional" and she had a declining mental health. Chantelle Williams, who had a "complex medical history", first ingested a "significant but non-fatal" dose of the substance in 2019 and checked into Salford Royal Hospital where she received care. Twice she managed to order the poison while still on the Keats Ward at the hospital and ingest the poison, with the second incident killing her in May 2020. Coroner Mr Brennand added: "The published Guidance... does not give specific guidance or suggested training to sellers, particularly [REDACTED] acquired by members of the public, particularly over 'online marketplaces' in circumstances of the purchase on a 'one off' basis for the means of self-harming. "Whilst there is a legal duty on persons selling this substance to report 'suspicious' transactions within 24 hours to the Home Office, the purchase of small quantities is being presumed to be connected to the many legitimate uses of the substance (such as food preservation, fertilizer etc) rather than in fact, being evaluated as a member of the public seeking purchase of modest quantities used as their chosen means by which to end life. "The current Home Office guidance and supporting video, leaflet and posters do not reference [REDACTED] as a specific example of concern and focuses on the phenomenon of 'malicious' misuse and not deliberate misuse in the sense of suicide/self-harm." The Home Office is required to respond within 56 days of the report.
