First Ofcom probe launched into suicide site exposed by BBC

A pro -suicide platform is investigating by the UK online regulator – it is using new powers under the Online Security Act.

The forum, which is not the name of the com, is understood as a site as BBC News, is investigating for the last three years, Connecting it with at least 50 deaths in the UK.

The site has thousands of members, including children, and users discuss the methods of suicide, share instructions about purchasing and using potentially deadly toxic chemicals.

Last month, Tomcom acquired powers to take action against sites hosting illegal materials.

This first investigation may lead to fine or court orders against those running the forum.

The loved ones of those families have taken their lives after contact with the site, but have welcomed the move, but called Oncom to move forward as soon as possible.

Vlad Nicolin-Casley from Southampton died at the age of 17 in May last year.

His parents have evidence that he was Coaching and members on site encouraged to take their lives, Which we are not nominating.

He bought a poisonous chemical and followed instructions to end his life.

Their parents, Anna and Graham asked to ban the site to save life.

Anna says, “At what point we say that we are enough, because those young people were not worth dying.” Graham agrees,

Online Safety Act became a law in October 2023 and AFTCOM has followed the guidelines and practice codes for platforms in the last 18 months.

On March 17, Tomcom had powers to take action against the sites hosting illegal materials, including assisting suicide.

All websites will now have to show that they have systems to remove illegal materials.

If they fail to do so, the regulatory can obtain a court order to block platforms or impose a fine to £ 18m.

An inquiry is the first step before any enforcement action.

But the offcom has to face many obstacles, including the fact that the people running this platform are anonymous and have been hosted in the US.

BBC News has revealed how more than 50 UK suicides are connected to the stage.

In October 2023, the BBC faced an American man, Lemcus Small, which is believed to have set the site in 2018. And in March last year, We also tracked a poison vendor in Ukraine, which was connected to the site.

The BBC also joined the platform using a false identity, compiling a list of the dead and exposed to a partner section, where members could get to die with someone.

Catherine Adenkan and daughter -in -law Melani Savella killed Catherine’s son Joe in April 2020, as the site was campaigned to close.

He was a member of the forum for less than a week, but the 23 -year -old learned to buy and use a toxic chemical.

He left a note for his mother, in which read: “Please do the best to close the website for someone else.”

Together they infiltrated the site, documented the number of deaths associated with it and identified people selling chemicals.

They are talking to ministers, their local MPs and media in an attempt to close the stage. They say that it has been five years.

Melani says: “There are new people who sign up on the website every day. People are dying, ordering poison online.”

When asked about the investigation, she says: “They have known about this site for a long time and what has been going on. They do not need to undergo long processes to be able to take it down. They need to take action now.”

BBC News has also revealed that since 2019 at least six coroners have written to government departments that they have demanded action to close the forum.

We learned many police forces and the National Crime Agency is also aware of the forum, and has investigated the deaths related to it.

Vlad’s parents Anna and Graham say the cost of their son’s life inaction by the authorities.

Says Graham, “If they took action first, our son would have been up on his computer. But now we are here, and that is not.”

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