MP Brooks Newmark wants Google suicide websites review

Joanne Lee and Stephen Lumb first met online and then committed suicide together

An Essex MP has called for the chief executives of Google to review hosting suicide websites after two people who met online killed themselves.

Stephen Lumb, 35, of Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, and Joanne Lee, 34, of Great Notley, Essex, were found dead inside a car in Braintree in September.

An inquest has heard how the pair had swapped e-mails after Ms Lee posted a note on a forum.

Conservative MP for Braintree Brooks Newmark wants an end to such groups.

'Have to suffer'

Mr Newmark has written to Larry Page, chief executive of Google Inc, and Matt Brittin, chief executive of Google UK.

He said that while he understood the difficulty in monitoring the internet he was concerned that groups such as the one that Joanne Lee used to find a partner and a method for her suicide have remained active.

Mr Newmark said: "I am aware that there are sites such as these hosted by the Google Groups domain, and I believe that this should be of significant concern to Google.

"I hope that Larry Page and Matt Brittin will now take the necessary steps to ensure that groups such as these are taken down, so that no other families have to suffer like Joanne Lee's family."

Google is expected to comment later.