Lee Elliott
PFD Report
All Responded
Ref: 2020-0265
All 1 response received
· Deadline: 14 Jan 2021
Coroner's Concerns (AI summary)
Toxic substances are easily and cheaply obtainable online without safeguards, and are advocated on websites as a method for suicide, leading to multiple deaths.
View full coroner's concerns
HM Coroner’s Office, Cockermouth, Cumbria Tel: 0300 303 3180 | Email: hmcoroner@cumbria.gov.uk
[BRIEF SUMMARY OF MATTERS OF CONCERN] (1) is being advocated by several websites easily found on the internet as a reliable and pain free way of taking one’s life. Often advice is given on the use of prescription medications to take to minimise any nausea caused when a solution of this substance is drunk. Links can be found to discussion groups which may encourage vulnerable and sick people to attempt to take their lives. (2) [and other toxic substances] are easily and cheaply obtainable in small amounts by internet purchase with no safeguards.
(3) I am aware the senior coroner for West Yorkshire [East] issued a regulation 28 report to you in September referring to the death of Joseph Nihill who died in similar circumstances. I wish to echo all the concerns raised in that report, and also advise that I am to hear an inquest in the new year touching on the death of a young female student who whose medical cause of death has also been given as
Toxicity.
HM Coroner’s Office, Cockermouth, Cumbria Tel: 0300 303 3180 | Email: hmcoroner@cumbria.gov.uk
[BRIEF SUMMARY OF MATTERS OF CONCERN] (1) is being advocated by several websites easily found on the internet as a reliable and pain free way of taking one’s life. Often advice is given on the use of prescription medications to take to minimise any nausea caused when a solution of this substance is drunk. Links can be found to discussion groups which may encourage vulnerable and sick people to attempt to take their lives. (2) [and other toxic substances] are easily and cheaply obtainable in small amounts by internet purchase with no safeguards.
(3) I am aware the senior coroner for West Yorkshire [East] issued a regulation 28 report to you in September referring to the death of Joseph Nihill who died in similar circumstances. I wish to echo all the concerns raised in that report, and also advise that I am to hear an inquest in the new year touching on the death of a young female student who whose medical cause of death has also been given as
Toxicity.
HM Coroner’s Office, Cockermouth, Cumbria Tel: 0300 303 3180 | Email: hmcoroner@cumbria.gov.uk
Responses
Noted
The Department acknowledges concerns about the availability of suicide methods online and outlines actions to reduce suicide rates through the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, including reducing access to the means of suicide and working with online retailers of harmful substances. (AI summary)
The Department acknowledges concerns about the availability of suicide methods online and outlines actions to reduce suicide rates through the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, including reducing access to the means of suicide and working with online retailers of harmful substances. (AI summary)
View full response
Dear Dr Shaw
Thank you for your letter of 26 November 2020 to Matt Hancock concerning the death of Lee Elliott, which was brought to the Department’s attention on 28 January 2021. I am responding as Minister with responsibility for mental health and suicide prevention.
Firstly, I would like to say how deeply saddened I was to read of the troubling circumstances surrounding Mr Elliott’s death and I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones at this difficult time.
I note your concerns that information about suicide methods is so readily available on the Internet and that the means to assist suicide with this substance can be easily sourced and bought online.
I wish to assure you that suicide prevention is a priority for this Government, and we are working across local and national government to reduce suicide rates so that fewer such tragedies occur each year.
We continue to take action to reduce suicide rates through the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England1 and the first Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Workplan2, which sets out an ambitious programme across national and local government and the NHS. The Workplan includes actions to reduce access to the means of suicide, including through harmful online content.
1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-strategy-for-england
2
ational-suicide-prevention-strategy-workplan.pdf
I am advised that suicide prevention policy leads in the health system, at the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England (PHE), and NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI), are alert to the risk posed by websites promoting suicide methods, and their direction on the use of certain chemicals in completing suicide, including the substance taken by Mr Elliott. These organisations, along with key stakeholders and academics, are looking at what data is available on suicides by this method and at what steps we can take to stop further loss of life by this method.
The concerns that Mr Elliott’s death raises sit within the policy remits of a range of Government departments, including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) for its work on online harms; and the Home Office (HO) for its work on the sale of reportable substances3. Officials have shared your concerns with those Departments and are working with officials from those and other Government departments to explore what further steps we can take to prevent further tragedies, both for this chemical, and any other emerging methods.
There is work already taking place that directly and indirectly impacts some areas of concern. As you may be aware, in 2019, DCMS published its Online Harms White Paper4, which set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how the Government is planning to tackle online harms, including harmful materials on self-harm and suicide.
On 15 December 2020, DCMS published its response to the White Paper consultation, setting out how the proposed legal duty of care on online companies will work in practice and gives them new responsibilities towards their users. DCMS also announced that the Government has asked the Law Commission to examine how criminal law will address the encouragement, assistance and incitement of self-harm.
In relation to your concerns about the chemical that Mr Elliott procured online, I understand that the HO has produced guidance for businesses on the sale of explosives precursors and poisons5. This includes the substance used in this case, which is a reportable poison under the Poisons Act 19726. This means that it is generally available to members of the public without the need for a licence, but sellers, including online sellers, are obligated to make suspicious transaction reports where they have grounds to believe that the sale is for an illicit use.
The HO regularly engages with suppliers to help them meet their requirements under the Poisons Act and provide detailed guidance in relation to any additional safeguarding steps they may wish to take. Generally online marketplaces maintain their own policies on
3 Guidance: supplying explosives precursors and posions
precursors-and-poison
4 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/online-harms-white-paper
5 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supplying-explosives-precursors/supplying-explosives- precursors-and-poison
6 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/66
prohibited items, many of which will include a prohibition on the sale of poisons. It is the seller’s obligation to check that items they are listing are permitted by their own policies and to take any action where it is appropriate.
In addition to the cross-Government group set up to put in place steps to tackle emerging methods of suicide, officials at the Department of Health and Social Care have also invited HO officials to brief partners in NHSEI, PHE and suicide prevention stakeholders on what HO can do to ensure that sellers of these chemicals are aware of their potential use in suicide, and what can be done to get specialist support to those who might be at risk.
More generally, from 2019/20, we are investing £57million in suicide prevention through the NHS Long Term Plan7. This will see investment in all areas of the country by 2023/24 to support local suicide prevention plans and establish suicide bereavement support services.
In addition, every local authority now has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place. We are working with local government to assure the effectiveness of those plans, and we invested almost £600,000 in 2019/20 to support local authorities to strengthen their plans.
Furthermore, PHE is piloting a national real-time surveillance system to monitor suspected suicide, by collecting early real time data which can be used to identify patterns of risk and causal factors, to inform national and local responses. HM Treasury has announced £1.2million funding to help support the development of the national system.
Finally, we know how crucial it is that information about a suicide is treated with the utmost sensitivity it deserves, not only for the bereaved families and communities, but also because reporting on the particulars of an individual suicide can lead to other people taking their life in similar ways, be that in the same location or by the same method. With this in mind, and with due respect to the Chief Coroner’s rights under the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 to publish this response, I wish to reiterate the need for us, as far as possible, to ensure the media practice caution when making public any facts or details relating to this method.
I hope this response is helpful. Thank you for bringing these concerns to my attention.
15 February 2021
NADINE DORRIES MINISTER OF STATE FOR PATIENT SAFETY, SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH
7 https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/
Thank you for your letter of 26 November 2020 to Matt Hancock concerning the death of Lee Elliott, which was brought to the Department’s attention on 28 January 2021. I am responding as Minister with responsibility for mental health and suicide prevention.
Firstly, I would like to say how deeply saddened I was to read of the troubling circumstances surrounding Mr Elliott’s death and I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones at this difficult time.
I note your concerns that information about suicide methods is so readily available on the Internet and that the means to assist suicide with this substance can be easily sourced and bought online.
I wish to assure you that suicide prevention is a priority for this Government, and we are working across local and national government to reduce suicide rates so that fewer such tragedies occur each year.
We continue to take action to reduce suicide rates through the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England1 and the first Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Workplan2, which sets out an ambitious programme across national and local government and the NHS. The Workplan includes actions to reduce access to the means of suicide, including through harmful online content.
1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-strategy-for-england
2
ational-suicide-prevention-strategy-workplan.pdf
I am advised that suicide prevention policy leads in the health system, at the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England (PHE), and NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI), are alert to the risk posed by websites promoting suicide methods, and their direction on the use of certain chemicals in completing suicide, including the substance taken by Mr Elliott. These organisations, along with key stakeholders and academics, are looking at what data is available on suicides by this method and at what steps we can take to stop further loss of life by this method.
The concerns that Mr Elliott’s death raises sit within the policy remits of a range of Government departments, including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) for its work on online harms; and the Home Office (HO) for its work on the sale of reportable substances3. Officials have shared your concerns with those Departments and are working with officials from those and other Government departments to explore what further steps we can take to prevent further tragedies, both for this chemical, and any other emerging methods.
There is work already taking place that directly and indirectly impacts some areas of concern. As you may be aware, in 2019, DCMS published its Online Harms White Paper4, which set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how the Government is planning to tackle online harms, including harmful materials on self-harm and suicide.
On 15 December 2020, DCMS published its response to the White Paper consultation, setting out how the proposed legal duty of care on online companies will work in practice and gives them new responsibilities towards their users. DCMS also announced that the Government has asked the Law Commission to examine how criminal law will address the encouragement, assistance and incitement of self-harm.
In relation to your concerns about the chemical that Mr Elliott procured online, I understand that the HO has produced guidance for businesses on the sale of explosives precursors and poisons5. This includes the substance used in this case, which is a reportable poison under the Poisons Act 19726. This means that it is generally available to members of the public without the need for a licence, but sellers, including online sellers, are obligated to make suspicious transaction reports where they have grounds to believe that the sale is for an illicit use.
The HO regularly engages with suppliers to help them meet their requirements under the Poisons Act and provide detailed guidance in relation to any additional safeguarding steps they may wish to take. Generally online marketplaces maintain their own policies on
3 Guidance: supplying explosives precursors and posions
precursors-and-poison
4 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/online-harms-white-paper
5 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supplying-explosives-precursors/supplying-explosives- precursors-and-poison
6 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/66
prohibited items, many of which will include a prohibition on the sale of poisons. It is the seller’s obligation to check that items they are listing are permitted by their own policies and to take any action where it is appropriate.
In addition to the cross-Government group set up to put in place steps to tackle emerging methods of suicide, officials at the Department of Health and Social Care have also invited HO officials to brief partners in NHSEI, PHE and suicide prevention stakeholders on what HO can do to ensure that sellers of these chemicals are aware of their potential use in suicide, and what can be done to get specialist support to those who might be at risk.
More generally, from 2019/20, we are investing £57million in suicide prevention through the NHS Long Term Plan7. This will see investment in all areas of the country by 2023/24 to support local suicide prevention plans and establish suicide bereavement support services.
In addition, every local authority now has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place. We are working with local government to assure the effectiveness of those plans, and we invested almost £600,000 in 2019/20 to support local authorities to strengthen their plans.
Furthermore, PHE is piloting a national real-time surveillance system to monitor suspected suicide, by collecting early real time data which can be used to identify patterns of risk and causal factors, to inform national and local responses. HM Treasury has announced £1.2million funding to help support the development of the national system.
Finally, we know how crucial it is that information about a suicide is treated with the utmost sensitivity it deserves, not only for the bereaved families and communities, but also because reporting on the particulars of an individual suicide can lead to other people taking their life in similar ways, be that in the same location or by the same method. With this in mind, and with due respect to the Chief Coroner’s rights under the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 to publish this response, I wish to reiterate the need for us, as far as possible, to ensure the media practice caution when making public any facts or details relating to this method.
I hope this response is helpful. Thank you for bringing these concerns to my attention.
15 February 2021
NADINE DORRIES MINISTER OF STATE FOR PATIENT SAFETY, SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH
7 https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/
Sent To
- Department of Health and Social Care
Response Status
Linked responses
1 of 1
56-Day Deadline
14 Jan 2021
All responses received
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Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
On 08/09/2020 I commenced an investigation into the death of Lee ELLIOTT. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest 25th November 2020. The short form conclusion recorded was Suicide and the record of inquest was as follows: “Lee Elliott died at his residence , Workington on 6th February 2020. He had been troubled by mental health symptoms for a few months, had previously expressed suicidal ideation, and was being treated for depression by his general practitioner. He purchased 50 grams of from an internet supplier which he ingested causing his death”.
Medical Cause of death was 1a Poisoning
Medical Cause of death was 1a Poisoning
Circumstances of the Death
Lee Elliott had appeared to have been struggling with his mental health for a few months, he had admitted to an attempt to hang himself late in 2019, was reported at times to have had some possibly psychotic symptoms and received a severe head injury which he declined to explain. He was seeing his GP regularly and being treated with antidepressant medication. At his last GP appointment shortly before he died he denied ongoing suicidal ideation. However on 6th February 2020 he was found deceased in his bedroom. Two glasses were found, one empty and the other half full of a pale yellow liquid. There was a handwritten note next to the glass which read, 'DON’T DRINK, POISON SORRY LOVE YOU ALL'. There was an arrow on the note pointing to the fluid in the glass. An empty packet labelled “ ” along with packaging indicating a purchase using EBay from a company in the south of England was recovered by the police who attended. A further consignment of this chemical was delivered to Lee’s home the following day from Poland. Examination of Lee’s computer revealed a number of websites and search terms relating to various suicide methods including chemical poisoning.
THE ABOVE INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE POLICE
THE ABOVE INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE POLICE
Copies Sent To
2. Mr Kevin McLoughlin, senior coroner for West Yorkshire (East)
3. Ms Nadia Persaud, senior coroner for East London
4. Mr , Metalchem Ltd, 492 Falmer Road, Brighton BN2 6LH
Inquest Conclusion
“Lee Elliott died at his residence , Workington on 6th February 2020. He had been troubled by mental health symptoms for a few months, had previously expressed suicidal ideation, and was being treated for depression by his general practitioner. He purchased 50 grams of from an internet supplier which he ingested causing his death”.
Medical Cause of death was 1a Poisoning
Medical Cause of death was 1a Poisoning
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Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.