Man appears in court charged with selling 'poison' to woman who took her own life

A man appeared in court today charged with selling a poison chemical to a woman who later d!ed by suicide.

Miles Cross, 33, is accused of encouraging and assisting Shubhreet Singh, 26, to k!ll herself by providing the substance via an online Internet forum in August last year.

An inquest into the death of Miss Singh, of Leeds, was opened and adjourned in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, last November. 

Wrexham Magistrates Court, in North Wales, was told that Cross is also charged with supplying the same chemical compound to assist the suicide or attempted suicide of three other people, two men and a woman, who lived. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

Today, tattooed Cross, who was dressed in a white shirt and black suit and tie, appeared in the dock for the first time for the 10-minute hearing.

He spoke only to confirm his name, address, and date of birth, but did not indicate any pleas to the allegations.

The charges relate to the sale of the chemical via an online forum on four occasions between August 9 and September 13 last year. 

District Judge Gwyn Jones bailed Cross, of Wrexham, to appear before a judge at Mold Crown Court next month, on condition that he does not use any electrical communication devices without registering them with North Wales Police. 

He is also banned from accessing suicide forums or possessing any materials that could aid suicides.

At a brief hearing at Wakefield Coroner's Court on October 10, it emerged that an unnamed individual had been charged in connection with Ms Singh's death. 

Coroner Oliver Longstaff said Ms Singh died via an alleged 'assisted suicide' and that her death was being investigated by police. He suspended the inquest until the conclusion of criminal proceedings.

Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, previously said: 'We have decided to prosecute Miles Cross with four offences of encouraging or assisting suicide following a police investigation into a business selling a substance via an online forum.

'Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

'We have worked closely with North Wales Police as they carried out their investigation.'