Surrey dad urges people to be aware of the dangers that can be found online following death of his son
Earlier today, (January 7) a man from Wrexham was jailed for 14 years for selling substances online, which people used to take their own lives
A Surrey dad has told us he wants to see more awareness around the dangers that online forums can pose
In 2021 Tom Parfett took his own life, with his dad David, late finding evidence that he had been encouraged to do so through an online forum.
As well as this David found evidence that the online forum had sold Tom the substance which was used to take his own life.
Earlier today, (January 7) Miles Cross from North Wales who sold substances online, which could help people take their own lives, has been jailed for 14 years.
Cross sold the substances online in 2024 to four people, with two of them loosing their lives as a result
This sentencing is widely thought to be the first of its kind where someone uses an online platform to target vulnerable people in this way
David Parfett says although this sentencing is a fantastic start, there is still more work to be done
"It's a really positive step, the police and the CPS are now looking at this as they investigate the suicide. We also though would like to see it go one step further. I think there's a case for not just assisting suicide but for manslaughter."
Parfett also emphasised the scale of the issue, and how important it is to tackle to problem quickly, and that stories like his are sadly not unique
"Unfortunately this has happened to many families we know of over past four or five years, at least 130 cases and they all follow this similar pattern of people with mental health issues going online being encouraged to take their own lives."
When David Parfett lost his son in 2021, he told us he was unaware as to the dangers that the online world can pose
"Unfortunately, whilst there are some very good places that allow you to potentially understand and recover, there's also a dark side, people who at the end of the day make money from people taking their own lives."
David added that although he was pleased to see this sentencing as a positive step, he was shocked that it had taken this long for something like this to happen
"No country would allow them to run a shop on the high street that promoted suicide or made money from suicide. There seems to be a difference between our attitude to what happens on the internet and what happens in the real world."
Later this year in April, the trial of Kenneth Law will begin in Canada.
Law is charged with 14 counts of first degree murder after he sold substances online which people used to take their own life.
He is linked to 131 suicides worldwide, including 97 in the United Kingdom.
Help available
If you, or someone you know is suffering with their mental health, or experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can speak to your GP. If someone's life is in danger - call 999 immediately.
You can also find help and advice from these services:
Hub of Hope - hubofhope.co.uk
Samaritans – Call 116123 - samaritans.org
Mind - 0300 123 3393 - mind.org.uk