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- May 1, 2024
- 203
'Poison seller' Kenneth Law who sold toxic chemicals online admits aiding suicides
Kenneth Law admitted charges relating to Canadian victims - but families say he should also be charged in the UK over 79 deaths in Britain.
www.bbc.com
"A man has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicides in Canada after he sold toxic chemicals online.
Kenneth Law, 60, entered the guilty pleas in an Ontario court on Friday, as part of a deal with prosecutors, who withdrew more serious murder charges.
Authorities said the former chef also sold about 1,200 packages of the toxic substances to recipients - who he met in online suicide forums - in 40 countries, roughly a quarter of which were sent to the UK.
The charges all relate to Canadian victims - but families of British victims have said they were angry UK prosecutors would not charge Law over the deaths of 79 Britons, which authorities say are linked to products he supplied.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had agreed to the Canadian plea bargain on the basis Law's sentence take the British deaths into account.
A letter from the CPS, seen by the BBC, said Law would not face charges in the UK because he could challenge the extradition after being convicted of similar offences in Canada.
Specialist CPS prosecutor Andrew Hudson said that including UK victims in the Canadian sentencing process was the "quickest and most effective route" to justice.
Hudson said a successful extradition was "far from guaranteed and would have taken years to conclude", while any UK prosecution "could have been blocked under double jeopardy principles".
Ontario man Ashtyn Prosser-Blake, 19, was one of Law's victims who died by suicide in March 2023.
"He was just such a super happy, really gentle soul, always looking to stand up for the underdog, the kids that got picked on," his mother, Kim Prosser, told the BBC.
Prosser-Blake's mental health declined after the Covid pandemic - he went to college for a year in Toronto before dropping out and moving home, where he "just continued to struggle" before dying by suicide, his mother said.
"The pain of losing my son Ashtyn doesn't ease because someone sits behind bars," she said. "There is no solace in my healing journey to see someone else suffer."
In the UK, David Parfett's 22 year-old son, Thomas, used the substance said to have been sold to him by Law.
"Tom was somebody who really saw the joy in life. He would find humour in the weirdest places. I often think about his laugh," Parfett said.
"Tom was a massive football fan and he was a good footballer as well. I miss the opportunity to enjoy the 2026 World Cup with him."
Tom paid the equivalent of ÂŁ50 ($67; C$92) for the substance. His body was found in a hotel in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, in 2021.
Parfett said that while it was good Law had "admitted guilt", he said it was still "a moment of unbelievable frustration".
"I would have preferred Kenneth Law to be tried here [in the UK]. I would have wanted to have seen him in court answering charges related to my son's death," he told the BBC on Friday.
Parfett is calling on the UK government to hold a public inquiry into the deaths, as he wanted authorities to "understand this issue and stop other people unfortunately suffering the loss of a family member due to a very preventable suicide".
"The toll here is astonishing - multiple deaths including of children - and yet we don't see any coordinated attempt to really understand it."
The BBC has approached the Home Office for comment.
Law was arrested in May 2023, following a complex investigation by at least 11 law-enforcement agencies and involved investigators from around a dozen countries, including the UK, Italy and the US.
His arrest came a week after a Times investigation alleged he was selling poison to young people, after a journalist posed as a customer and spoke to Law directly.
Law reportedly counselled the journalist on how to use his products to "best ensure death".
Canadian detectives told the BBC in 2023 that Law ran multiple websites offering equipment and substances to help people end their lives.
Those found guilty of aiding suicide under Canada's criminal code can face up to 14 years in prison."
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