A former soldier who set up an online business to sell a lethal poison to vulnerable individuals he met on internet forums has been jailed for 14 years. Miles Cross, 33, exploited people in desperate mental states, encouraging them to end their lives after they paid him for the deadly substance.
A Predatory Online Business
The court heard how Cross, from Wrexham in North Wales, specifically targeted users of a specialist online forum. In August two years ago, he encountered 26-year-old Shubhreet Singh, who used the pseudonym 'help me rest'. Posing as 'hidden pain', Cross, a former soldier, ignored her clear distress and instead offered to sell her a chemical to end her life.
Within half an hour of their conversation starting, Ms Singh had transferred £100 to Cross's bank account for 176g of the poison. He sent her a QR code for payment via an encrypted messaging app. Tragically, her body was discovered 12 days later in a holiday let in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Disturbing Exchanges and Further Victims
Mold Crown Court was told of the chilling messages exchanged before Ms Singh's death. Cross sent her a 'two-day timetable' explaining the poison's effects and casually discussed what to eat as a 'last meal'. When she asked to speak on the phone, he claimed he was too tired, later messaging: 'Are you still set on CTB (cease to breathe) tomorrow.' She took the substance on September 1, 2024.
Despite realising she had died, Cross continued his operation. He sent a package to a 42-year-old married woman just 13 days later. Fortunately, after her mental health improved through counselling, she flushed the chemical away. A 34-year-old man who also ordered it did not take it, and the substance was recovered by police.
A Tragic Twist and Family Devastation
In a heartbreaking secondary tragedy, a 53-year-old father died after ingesting poison originally sent by Cross to his 20-year-old son. The young man, who had mental health problems, had his intercepted parcel confiscated by his worried parents. The father, who was also depressed, insisted on disposing of the substance at his workplace but went missing a week later. His body was found in October.
In a powerful victim impact statement, his wife of 24 years said her family was 'totally devastated' and suffering 'ongoing trauma'. She revealed their three sons blamed themselves and that she suffers daily 'horrific and vivid nightmares'. 'I am not the person I was,' she told the court. 'Every aspect of my life has changed forever.'
The Investigation and Conviction
Police tracked Cross down with relative ease. He used a fake name online but listed his own home address as the return on packages. Screenshots of payments were linked to a Monzo bank account in his name. When officers raided his flat in Wrexham in January last year, they found around 1.3kg of the deadly substance in a suitcase, with his DNA on containers.
Evidence showed Cross had established the venture in June 2024, ordering the poison in bulk from Greece. On a forum, he complained about living in a 'nanny state' and expressed relief at having the means 'on my terms'. He made his first sale on August 8.
Although the substance is not illegal and has industrial uses, ingestion starves the body of oxygen, causing death. The suicide prevention charity the Molly Rose Foundation has linked it to at least 133 UK fatalities.
Cross, who had previous convictions, eventually pleaded guilty to four counts of encouraging or assisting suicide. He claimed his own mental health was damaged by a tour of Afghanistan and childhood trauma, stating he initially wanted the poison for himself. However, Judge Rhys Rowlands and the prosecution dismissed this, stating his actions were a 'financial venture to make money'.
Judge Rowlands said he was 'quite sure' Cross intended to profit, making money 'out of the misfortune of others'. Detective Superintendent Chris Bell of North Wales Police labelled Cross a 'predator' who 'preyed on his victims and exploited them in their most desperate moments.'
