Bereaved families demand inquiry into suicide forum linked to 164 UK deaths

Bereaved families demand inquiry into suicide forum linked to 164 UK deaths Campaigners wrote to Prime Minister Andy Burnham to demand an inquiry on Thursday - Bookmark The bereaved families of individuals who died by suicide linked to an online forum have called on Andy Burnham to support their call for a public inquiry. The campaigners, alongside a survivor of the “appalling suicide grooming forum”, said they have endured preventable harm that is “frankly unimaginable”. The forum, which is not being named to prevent further harm, has been linked to at least 164 deaths in the UK over a five-year period. However, the Molly Rose Foundation warned there are “likely to be countless more”. The site’s operator was fined £950,000 in May by online safety regulator Ofcom for failing to comply with duties under the Online Safety Act, becoming the first service to be investigated by the regulator under the UK’s online safety laws. By July, however, Ofcom confirmed it could not pursue further legal action, adding that changes made by the US-based forum to block access to those in the UK represented “the fullest extent of what can be achieved” under the Act. The regulator said further changes to the site “would impact global users, which is beyond UK jurisdiction”, adding that “all possible legal routes under the Act have now been exhausted”. The watchdog said that because the forum had already blocked UK users, legal grounds were not met to ask a court to “require internet service providers to block UK access to the site”. Campaigners at the time said they were “devastated” by the decision and on Thursday they wrote to the Prime Minister to demand an inquiry. The Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms group (FSPOSH), supported by the Molly Rose Foundation, said: “We write to you today as a group of bereaved families and a survivor of an appalling suicide grooming forum that exists for only one purpose: To groom, coerce and instruct vulnerable people to take their own lives, and to celebrate when those lives end. “Multiple agencies have failed to act and we live with the consequences of those failures every day. We demand a full public inquiry; nothing less will honour our children, the survivors or expose the failures that cost their lives.” They told how their loved ones had been “drawn into a dark, nihilistic online world that continues to be easily accessible to this day”. The campaigners said those who died were not only victims of a “deadly forum and nihilistic criminals, but also the failure of successive governments that acted too slowly to heed warnings – if at all”. They said repeated opportunities to act had been missed, including prevention of future deaths reports which had raised issues dozens of times with government departments as well as coroners raising concerns with public bodies some 65 times. They accused successive governments of having “dithered and delayed the passage of the Online Safety Act”, and said Ofcom had shown itself “to be either unwilling or unable to act with the urgency that was so desperately required”. They also repeated their outrage at the failure to extradite Canadian national Kenneth Law, whose lethal products are linked to the deaths of 112 people in the UK. In May, Law pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide during a court appearance in Ontario, Canada, but none of those charges related to victims from the UK. British authorities believed he would have been able to challenge any extradition request due to “double jeopardy” laws – meaning he will have already been convicted of similar offences in another country. The campaigners’ letter referenced other so-called state “failings” in Grenfell, infected blood and Horizon Post Office scandals as well as Hillsborough. Citing Mr Burnham’s work with the Hillsborough families during which they said he was “unflinching in your commitment to seeking justice and accountability”, they urged him to “afford us the same”. Andy Burrows, chief executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “The evidence is undeniable and yet this criminal, nihilistic and financially motivated suicide grooming forum is still active and directly responsible for appalling loss of life here in the UK. “Andy Burnham was unflinching in his commitment to the Hillsborough families to seek justice and accountability. “He must do the same for these families and survivors, making sure lessons are learned, and that families are afforded the same sense of dignity and a commitment the government is determined to finally make things right.” An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We can only take action using the powers we’ve been given and we’re working with Government and Parliament to consider whether there are areas where our powers can be strengthened.” The government has been contacted for comment. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI) or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.