Tragic dad used online ‘suicide kit’ to end life
A FATHER-OF-TWO whose mental health began to spiral after a split with his girlfriend bought a ‘suicide pack’ filled with poisonous chemicals he used to end his own life.
Samuel David Dickenson had obtained the controlled poison online.
The 33-year-old took the chemical at his flat in Wilkinson Street, Leigh, where he was later found unresponsive by emergency services in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
He managed to call 999 shortly before falling unconscious, giving his name and address until the line went silent, the North West Ambulance Service said.
Police found the controlled chemical as well as a number of other items part of the ‘suicide pack’ he got online. He had left a suicide note on his computer for his family which said: “I have decided to leave.”
His last words for his former partner and their two boys were that ‘he loved them more than anything.’
Bolton Coroner’s Court heard how Sam’s family were ‘always at the end of the phone’ for him if he needed support.
Karen Dickenson, Sam’s mum, believed his mental health had deteriorated following a split with partner.
She explained that he had become increasingly unhappy and decided that their eight-year relationship, from which they have two children, should come to an end.
Senior coroner Timothy Brennand believed he had an undiagnosed mental health condition that led him to have sporadic suicidal ideation.
“Everything has come as a complete
shock,” Mrs Dickenson said in a statement. “He had no background of self harm or suicidal ideation.”
Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Dickenson said: “He will be sadly missed by all his friends and family. “He was so well loved.”
The cause of death was chemical toxicity and a conclusion of suicide was recorded. “There was real concern about the ready way members of the community are accessing these sites and source lethal chemicals that can bring about their own end,” Mr Brennand said.
This coronal investigation was put on hold after Mr Brennand requested an investigation into the chemical used in Sam’s death and a number of other cases.
The two-year investigation from police has uncovered how this particular chemical, which the M.E.N. is not naming, had been purchased online by Sam and dozens of others across the UK and internationally.
The packs were being bought from chemical companies on the advice of online forums.
Detective inspector Andrew Wright said 45 deaths in the UK and Europe out of just over 200 people who bought the ‘suicide kit’ have come from just one chemical company.