‘Shocking’ suicide books sold on Amazon despite warnings

‘Shocking’ and ‘offensive’ books about suicide should be pulled from sale on Amazon, families say.

Four different coroners have raised concerns about the online retailer since December after people who bought the books and other materials later took their own lives.

The latest warning follows the death of Deborah Cooper, 61, from Melksham in Wiltshire.

Amazon said it offers a “wide range of viewpoints, including books that some may find objectionable.”

Warning: Contains disturbing content

Mrs Cooper was an aspiring writer who had recently moved from Bath to Melksham.

She has openly discussed her struggles with mental health on her blogs and Facebook page. He publicly detailed his diagnosis, late in life, of ADHD and autism.

But on February 21, she took her own life at home.

A digital copy of a publication was found on her computer, described by Wiltshire Coroner David Ridley as one “whose sole purpose is to provide information to those who are considering ending their lives”.

Other materials purchased from Amazon were also found.

As a result, the coroner issued a prevention of future deaths notice to Amazon and also copied the business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, and the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer.

The letter said Amazon has the power to take steps to prevent future deaths.

Mr Ridley expressed his “greatest concern” about the “marketing and provision of such a book giving clear instructions” on ways to take one’s own life.

The letter written by the Wiltshire coroner was the fourth similar letter sent to Amazon since December 2023.

In March, the Cheshire coroner also wrote to Amazon about the death of Mary Jones, 86, from Knutsford.

Coroner Elizabeth Wheeler said Ms Jones consulted a book available on her website as she prepared to take her own life.

Ms Wheeler said: “Amazon, or the algorithms, are clearly aware of the potential for harm this book can cause as there is a banner at the top giving contact numbers for the Samaritans.

“Despite this, the book is still for sale.”

Mary Jones’ daughter Christine Wadsworth told the BBC she still missed her mother deeply.

“To me it’s very, very sad,” she said.

“She was unhappy, but maybe she would have come. Maybe something cheered her up, or maybe it would have been another few months.”

But she said she was upset about the “offensive” books being put up for sale on Amazon.

“It’s shocking that you can get a book like this. Don’t expect to see it on virtual book shelves. You wouldn’t expect it to just sit there as something you can select, buy and read.

“I don’t think this book should be for sale. I don’t really know why it exists and who it’s really for.”

In a statement, Amazon said: “We offer our deepest sympathies to Ms Cooper’s family and friends.

“As a bookseller, we choose to offer a wide range of viewpoints, including books that some may find objectionable, and we have content guidelines that govern the books that can be listed for sale.

“We recognize that this is a highly sensitive issue and as such we are displaying a banner on the product details page for this book giving customers information on how to access free and confidential advice from Samaritans.”

Amazon is currently the fifth largest company in the US and has announced total revenues of $575 billion in 2023. Its founder, Jeff Bezos, has an estimated net worth of around $200 billion.

A book bought from Amazon was also blamed for the 2013 death of Toni Haw, 19, from York.

Her mother Hilary Haw told the BBC: “I found her in her room a few days after it all happened and I reported it to the police straight away. They came and collected it at the time.

“I just looked at it, but it was pretty scary. The coroner said the method he used was specifically described in this book.

“It’s a dangerous publication and I certainly think it shouldn’t be available for free.”

The Inner West London Coroner raised concerns with the company in December 2023 about the death of Chloe Macdermott, 43, from London. The coroner said he bought a substance from the US Amazon website which he used to kill himself.

Later that month, the Cheshire coroner wrote to the company following the death of 19-year-old Adrian Gallagher in Warrington. She expressed concern about a book available on Amazon that was linked to his death.

The BBC is not giving any more details about any of the deaths or what was bought from Amazon than is available in public documents released by coroners.

Campaign groups have echoed the coroner’s calls.

Suicide Prevention UK, based in Bristol, operates a mental health helpline and runs patrols.

Charity administrator Lauren Rolfe believes the availability of the books is causing vulnerable people to take their own lives.

“These people are struggling with their mental health, they’re in a mental health crisis,” she said.

“They will do whatever they can to stop the pain, and having these books readily available will support them in their goal.”

Some of the books in question are already banned in Australia.

An author of two of the books told the BBC: “It is the right of rational adults to have the information (and means) to end their life at a time of their choosing, for whatever reason.

“This differs from the ‘medical model’ where disease and degree of suffering are coded to decide whether legal aid to die can be provided.”

UK campaign group Dignity in Dying recently joined broadcaster and journalist Esther Rantzen to call for a change in the law on assisted dying.

They want a system that allows people with less than six months to live to have the right to control their own death.

But in a statement they distanced themselves from the books the coroners were referring to, saying: “The blanket ban on assisted dying protects none of us and forces hundreds of terminally ill people every year to resort to drastic methods to to end their suffering.

“Under the law in England and Wales… it is illegal to ‘assist or encourage a suicide’, which could include giving any advice or information about ending one’s own life.

“Dignity in Dying operates within the law and therefore does not provide information or support to people who wish to end their lives in the UK.”