A man who sold a deadly chemical online to help people kill themselves has been jailed for 14 years in what is believed to be the first case of its kind in the UK. Miles Cross, 33, pleaded guilty to four counts of intentionally doing an act capable of encouraging or assisting suicide and was sentenced at Mold Crown Court on Wednesday.
The court heard that Cross posted packages containing an unnamed fatal chemical to four people he met while posting anonymously in a suicide forum in August and September 2024. Two subsequently took their own lives using the substance, for which the defendant had charged £100. Judge Rowlands praised the thorough investigation by North Wales Police, which worked with Ofcom to close UK access to the forum.
Gareth Evans, assistant chief constable, said the force hoped the sentencing would “alert vulnerable people to predators”. He added: “Even though the actual money that exchanged hands was not great … [Cross] sought to take advantage of people’s vulnerability. It has been a unique investigation and I believe it is the first prosecution of its kind in the UK involving someone using an online forum to target vulnerable people.”
The prosecution said Cross joined the forum to research suicide methods for his own use after “emotional deterioration” and problems with gambling, alcohol and sedative use. He posted a message and a picture of the chemicals in July 2024, saying he “finally had everything”, and added a QR code that allowed people to order and pay. Cross was arrested in a raid in January 2025, and analysis of his devices linked him to the forum, social media profiles, and his bank account.
Owing to reporting restrictions, only one victim, 29-year-old Shubreet Singh from Leeds, was named. Police found a foil bag with Cross’s return address at her home, and messages from Cross asking if she needed help sourcing the chemical. The poisonous substance has been linked to at least 133 UK deaths, according to the Molly Rose Foundation. One of Cross’s surviving victims said: “The fact this was so easy makes me think, had I not come to my senses, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
