'Toxic online community led to my sister's suicide'

Aimee Walton (left, pictured with Adele) was "a talented artist and musician", her sister said

Warning: The following article contains upsetting content

The sister of a young woman who died after being drawn into a "toxic, suicide-obsessed" online community has expressed "relief" on hearing online safety laws are to be "toughened".

Aimee Walton, 21, from Southampton, was found dead in a hotel room in Berkshire in 2022 after swallowing poison she had bought online.

Her sister Adele said her fight for justice for Aimee had been "exhausting" and she felt "real frustration" at being "told action will be taken, but then nothing happens".

She called for this week's government announcement of "stricter legal requirements on tech companies to hunt down and remove" self-harm and suicide content to be implemented "swiftly".

Adele described her sister as "a creative, a talented artist and musician" who adored exploring music technology.

Aimee was also a massive fan of singer songwriter Pharrell Williams and was overjoyed to be invited to dance with him on stage at a number of concerts.

Adele, 26, remembered "she would barge her way to the front and she would dance like crazy and sing all the lyrics to songs and then he'd point" at her and she would be "up there" next to him.

After Aimee died, the musician composed a tribute to her, which was shared at her funeral.

"Hi Aimee, it's P. Sending you warm vibrations, remembering all the times we shared and the energy that you would bring with you.

"Sending your family love and light but also assuring them that you are amongst the stars with the master. So please continue to shine. Blessings Pharrell."

Aimee Walton was discovered dead in a hotel room near Heathrow Airport in October 2022

Initially grief-stricken and shocked by Aimee's sudden death, Adele was unable to comprehend what could have driven her younger sibling to swallow poison.

What Adele would go on to uncover has left her fearful for generations of young people growing up in an increasingly complex and sometimes dark digital world.

Adele said Aimee was bullied at school and despite developing a fierce resilience, her sense of isolation grew during the Covid pandemic lockdowns.

She could not see her boyfriend, missed the live music scene and spent an increasing amount time alone "locked into her digital devices" and her mental health deteriorated.

Adele felt as if "communities online were isolating her further from us".

Aimee's interactions with people on one particular suicide forum, which the BBC is not naming, would have a profound impact and Adele believes ultimately drove her to end her life by poisoning herself.

Adele said the website "encourages to the point of pressuring people to take their own lives".

The website is linked to dozens of deaths in the UK and is the focus of Ofcom's first investigation using new powers under the UK's Online Safety Act.

Adele and other bereaved families have called on the UK online regulator to speed up its investigation and ensure the site is "blocked permanently in the UK".

'A stranger'

An especially chilling factor in Aimee's death is that she was not alone when she died.

Adele said Aimee had been with "a stranger" she had met "on this suicide forum".

The man, an American who had flown to the UK to be there when she died, was questioned by police but released without charge.

Adele told the BBC: "It disturbs us as a family that he was the last person to see Aimee alive.

"Did he gain some kind of twisted satisfaction out of watching her take that substance and die?

"That's what alarms me and that's the thought that circles in my mind.

"Next to it, you know, the search of that substance."

Aimee is alleged to have bought the poison that killed her from Canadian chef, Kenneth Law, who is due to stand trial in 2026, after being charged with 14 counts of murder and of aiding suicide.

He is thought to have sold the chemical to buyers in 40 countries and is linked to at least 93 deaths in the UK.

The inquest into Aimee's death has been postponed until after the conclusion of Mr Law's trial.

Adele said: "We were glad it's been acknowledged that there is a relevant criminal investigation ongoing that relates to Aimee's case and it might mean the online elements in her death will finally be taken seriously.

"The shock that came with losing Aimee and finding out that the digital world played such a big part in her death was what really woke me up to how life-threatening dark communities online can be."

Adele Walton was "heartbroken" when she heard a teenager from the same city died in similar circumstances in May 2024

Adele is a journalist and the circumstances of her sister's death compelled her to "dig deeper" into online dangers and she's since written a book called"Logging Off: The Human Cost of Our Digital World.

When Adele learned of the death of Southampton teenager Vladimir Nikolin-Caisley in similar circumstances in May 2024, she was "really heartbroken".

"This should have stopped at Aimee," she said, "this should have stopped at the victims before Aimee.

"These are not just one-off cases. Deaths could have been prevented had action been taken."

When the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology announced the proposed strengthening of Online Safety Act around suicide and self-harm content, the Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: "Our enhanced protections will make clear to social media companies that taking immediate steps to keep users safe from toxic material that could be the difference between life and death is not an option, but the law."

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