Ofcom have released an update on their ongoing investigation into a pro-suicide forum, which celebrates and encourages the deaths of others. However, the Molly Rose Foundation, a leading suicide prevention charity, says that until it's shut down for good "it risks returning".
Launched on World Suicide Prevention Day, the Mirror and the Molly Rose foundation joined forces with bereaved families and a survivor to call on the Government to ban the pro-suicide forum and the lethal substance promoted on it.
In the UK, assisting a suicide is a crime under the Suicide Act 1961. The Mirror has taken the editorial decision not to name the forum nor the substance promoted on the site.
The suicide forum was the target of Ofcom's first investigation under the Online Safety Act which began in April 2025. The US-based site responded to OFCOM enforcement proceedings by implementing a geo-block to restrict access by people with UK IP addresses.
However, this appeared with a message on the landing page which advised UK based visitors on how to bypass this block.
In an update issued on October 13, Ofcom stated that the suicide site has now removed this messaging that promoted ways to bypass the block. Ofcom emphasises that sites who choose to block access to people in the UK must not then encourage or promote ways to avoid these restrictions.
Despite this update, the Ofcom investigation into the pro-suicide forum remains open and will continue on Ofcom's watchlist to monitor that the block is maintained. Ofcom will also ensure that the forum does not encourage or direct UK users to get around it.
Suzanne Cater, Director of Enforcement at Ofcom, said in a press release: "Today sends a clear message that any service which flagrantly fails to engage with Ofcom and their duties under the Online Safety Act can expect to face robust enforcement action.
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"We're also seeing some services take steps to introduce improved safety measures as a direct result of our enforcement action. Services who choose to restrict access rather than protect UK users remain on our watchlist as we continue to monitor their availability to UK users."
An Ofcom spokesperson added: "Ofcom does not have the power to 'shut down' a site completely. Where appropriate, we can seek a court order for 'business disruption measures', such as requiring Internet Service Providers to block access to a site in the UK."
The Mirror's Buy To Die: The Deadly Online Forums three-part documentary series investigated how the poison was allegedly sold and promoted to victims in the UK via a pro suicide forum.
This comes after news that alleged 'poison killer' Kenneth Law, currently awaiting trial in Canada, is believed to have sent a total of 1,200 packages containing deadly poison to people in 40 countries via a pro-suicide site. He has been linked to almost 100 deaths in the UK under investigation by the National Crime Agency.
Tracing the impact of the deadly substance, The Mirror spoke to bereaved families and a survivor about the effect the poison and the forum. Survivor Ilse, who ingested a poison that was recommended to her on a pro-suicide forum in an attempt to end her own life. She has since said she is glad to be alive and now wants to warn others about the forum.
Meanwhile, David Parfett, father of Tom Parfett, said that his son live-blogged his suicide on a pro-suicide forum while other members egged him on. As part of his own investigation, David said he was able to order the poison from various websites.
The Mirror also spoke to Adele Walton, whose sister Aimee Walton died by suicide in 2022. In the months before Aimee died, she had been visiting a pro-suicide forum, where she accessed a poison which she used to take her own life. It was also through this site that she made contact with the man who flew into the UK from the US and spent 11 days with her in a hotel in Slough before she died.
Pete Aitken's daughter Hannah Aitken passed just 30 minutes after the poison was delivered to her. Her family still do not know whether she was accessing the pro-suicide forum, as the police were unable to download data from her most recent device.
Ian Russell is the founder of the suicide prevention charity Molly Rose Foundation and father of Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 aged just 14 after falling down a dark rabbit hole online. He has previously criticised Ofcom for being "too timid" in enforcing the Online Safety Act when it comes to pro-suicide forums.
In response to Ofcom's update, Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, told The Mirror: "It is unfathomable that Ofcom would not use all the tools at their disposal to crack down on this site which exists solely to promote suicide and groom and encourage people to die.
"While it is welcome the site is geo-blocked for now, it has made tokenistic gestures previously and then backtracked on them, so until it is legally shut down in the UK it risks returning and putting more young lives at risk.
"Given the sheer scale of harm caused by the site Ofcom should continue with enforcement action and be prepared to use their powers to issue heavy fines or criminal sanctions for the illegal offences taking place on it."
The Online Safety Act 2023 is a law which puts responsibility on social media companies and search services to protect adults and children online. This means that these companies have duties to put in place systems and processes to hinder their services being used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content when it does appear.
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.