Latest news with #VladNikolinCaisley
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Telegraph
Woman arrested ‘for encouraging teenager to end life in online forum'
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of encouraging or assisting the suicide of a 17-year-old boy who had joined an online suicide forum. Vlad Nikolin-Caisley, from Southampton, Hampshire, died in May 2024 after becoming a user of the website which, according to a BBC report, is the first to be investigated by Ofcom under the Online Safety Act. A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman confirmed that a 29-year-old woman from Merton, London, had been arrested in connection with the teenager's death. He said: 'As part of our investigation into the death of a teenage boy in Southampton, we have arrested a 29-year-old woman from Merton, London, on suspicion of intentionally doing an act capable of encouraging or assisting the suicide of another. 'She has been bailed while our inquiries continue.' Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must comply with a range of new codes of practice, which set out how sites must protect users, and in particular children, from encountering harmful content. They must now show that they have systems and processes within their site design, terms of service and moderation teams that will help protect users from harmful content. The first set of these codes, which focused on stopping the spread of illegal content – including that which promotes suicide and self-harm – came into force last month. Sites found to be in breach of the new rules, which will continue to come into force in the coming months, face large fines. In the most serious cases, Ofcom can request that a site be blocked. The regulator can impose fines of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of worldwide revenue if it finds compliance failures. According to the BBC, the forum – which is not being named because of the nature of its content – has been linked to at least 50 deaths in the UK, while one charity said it understood the National Crime Agency (NCA) has linked the site to as many as 97 deaths in the UK. It is reported to have tens of thousands of members who discuss methods of suicide and share information. In a statement released last month after the launch of the investigation into the website, an Ofcom spokesman said: 'We've been clear that failure to comply with the new online safety duties or adequately respond to our information requests may result in enforcement action, and that we would not hesitate to take swift action where we suspect there may be serious breaches. 'Having received a limited response to our request, and unsatisfactory information about the steps being taken to protect UK users from illegal content, we have today launched an investigation into whether the provider is complying with its legal obligations under the Act.'
BBC News
13-05-2025
- BBC News
Arrest over suicide of Southampton teen Vlad Nikolin-Caisley
Police have arrested a woman on suspicion of assisting the suicide of a teenager who had been drawn into a "sinister" pro-suicide community online. Vlad Nikolin-Caisley, from Southampton, was 17 when he secretly joined the website which the BBC understands is the focus of Ofcom's first investigation using new powers under the Online Safety Act. He then bought a poisonous chemical online which he swallowed at home, where lengthy attempts by his father and paramedics to resuscitate him failed. A 29-year-old woman, from Merton, London, has been arrested on suspicion of intentionally doing an act capable of encouraging or assisting the suicide of another. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said she had been released on bail while its inquiries suicide and attempted suicide are not in themselves criminal offences, it is illegal for someone to help someone else end their life. In practice, a government paper states prosecutions under the Suicide Act 1961 (England & Wales) are "relatively rare". The paper reveals 19 out of 187 cases recorded as assisted suicides by police, over 15 years, up to the end of March 2024, resulted in court action. Vlad's family revealed the details of his death in a BBC Documentary in February in the hope of raising awareness of the dangers faced by children and vulnerable people had been diagnosed with autism, depression and anxiety. The government said it would tighten up laws that allow people to buy drugs online that can be used to take their own lives, following Vlad's death and the death a 21 year old woman, also from Southampton. If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story you can find information and support on the BBC Actionline website here. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
