The article notes public safety concerns and that help was offered to affected individuals through Samaritans, underscoring ongoing risk.

Victim impact statements described severe family and financial strain, including a widow who cannot fund her children's university education or therapy.

Prosecutors highlighted that Cross did not know his victims’ identities or levels of vulnerability, a serious aggravating factor in the case.

Two deaths are directly linked to his activities, with a 26-year-old woman and a second recipient who also bought the chemical implicated, and authorities noted multiple other victims and near-misses.

There is a clear tension between the police’s urgency to prevent further harm and Cross’s refusal to provide information about victims or access to the substance.

The investigation involved collaboration among the Crown Prosecution Service, National Crime Agency, and other forces, with public health and safeguarding bodies playing a role in prevention.

Survivors’ statements expressed hope that the case will prompt others in crisis to seek professional help and support.

Victim impact statements described lasting emotional harm, while Cross’s defence argued trauma and a mental health breakdown, with some remorse noted by the court.

The judge framed the case as extremely serious and rare, emphasizing aggravating factors like selling to strangers, exploiting distress, and the two resulting deaths.

Victims and families stressed how easily such substances can be obtained online and the emotional vulnerability that was exploited.

In what prosecutors call a landmark case, 33-year-old Miles Cross was jailed for 14 years after allegedly selling a chemical online to vulnerable people to assist suicides, the first UK case of its kind.

Police found the substance, packaging, Cross’s DNA, and links to an online forum and payments during a January 2025 search of his Wrexham flat, tying devices and accounts to the online operation.