UK Man Jailed For Assisting Suicide After Selling Chemicals Online

A British man who assisted suicide by selling a substance to vulnerable people was jailed Wednesday for 14 years, in a rare UK prosecution.

The case comes after British lawmakers last year advanced contentious legislation in parliament that would allow assisted dying for terminally ill people.

The bill would permit assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults who have been given less than six months to live, but still needs to clear several parliamentary hurdles.

Cross was arrested and charged last year after he created a business and began selling the unspecified chemical compound via an internet discussion forum after joining it in July 2024, Mold Crown Court in Wales heard.

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Using a pseudonym, he posted a QR code online which linked to his bank account and allowed people to order the substance directly from him and pay into that account.

Cross received payments of £100 ($134) from four people and sent them the substance through the UK’s postal service.

Police raided his home in January 2025 and discovered tubs of the chemical substance and other paraphernalia.

In a statement provided to the court, one buyer said they had “felt vulnerable, overwhelmed and struggled silently” when they decided to purchase the substance.

“Had I not come to my senses, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” the statement added.

“Because this person made it so easily available makes me think they preyed on vulnerable people like me.”

Cross pleaded guilty on November 18 to four offences of encouraging or assisting the suicide of another person, contrary to the Suicide Act 1961.

Specialist CPS prosecutor Alison Storey said in a statement that he had “preyed on four people in a distressed state”.

Noting his actions were “for financial gain”, she called the case “a stark reminder of the dangers posed by those who aim to exploit vulnerable individuals online”.

“The CPS will always aim to hold offenders to account when they illegally seek to encourage or assist a suicide,” Storey added.

AFP