UK man jailed 14 years for selling suicide chemical online in landmark case
A man who sold a chemical online to vulnerable people seeking to end their lives has been jailed for 14 years in what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind in the UK.
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Miles Cross, 33, set up a business selling the substance through an internet discussion forum and operated under a pseudonym, Mold Crown Court heard. Prosecutors said Cross posted a QR code that allowed buyers to pay him directly via his bank account and directed them to an online forum where he interacted with users.
Investigators traced four £100 payments made to Cross, who posted the chemical to customers. When police searched his home in Wrexham, north Wales, in January 2025, officers found quantities of the substance and paraphernalia used to package and send it.
Analysis of his seized devices linked Cross to the online forum, associated social media profiles and the bank account used to take payments, the court was told.
In November last year, Cross pleaded guilty to four counts of intentionally doing an act capable of encouraging or assisting the suicide of another by providing a chemical compound. The charges are believed to represent the first time UK authorities have prosecuted someone for supplying a substance online to facilitate suicide.
One count related to the supply of chemicals on Aug. 22, 2023, to 26-year-old Shubhreet Singh, who died in West Yorkshire later that year. A second death by suicide in the Thames Valley police area was also linked to Cross, prosecutors said. The remaining counts, alleged to have taken place in August and September 2023, involve individuals who cannot be named due to reporting restrictions.
Cross joined the forum in July 2024, the court heard, and used a QR code to advertise the substance for purchase, taking payments into his personal bank account. He then sent packages through the post to buyers who had contacted him online.
In a personal impact statement read in court, one victim described how easy access to the chemical almost cost their life. “At the time I made the decision to purchase this substance, I felt vulnerable, overwhelmed and struggled silently,” the statement said. “This experience caused me significant emotional pain. I’m no longer in that state of mind but I’ve had to work hard to heal and move forward in a healthier direction.
“The fact that this was so easy makes me think, had I not come to my senses, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Because this person made it so easily available makes me think they preyed on vulnerable people like me. Although he does not know me and may not fully understand the impact of his actions the substance he advertised, sold and sent me could have ended my life and seriously impacted on my family.”
“I hope my words can be used to support others and to ensure safety for those who may be in similar situations,” the victim added.
Cross was sentenced at Mold Crown Court after pleading guilty to all counts.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
