Kenneth Law pleads guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide in Canada after selling toxic chemicals online
Kenneth Law, a 60-year-old former chef, pleaded guilty on Friday to 14 counts of aiding suicide in an Ontario court, as part of a deal with prosecutors who withdrew more serious murder charges. Authorities said Law sold approximately 1,200 packages of toxic substances to recipients across 40 countries, including the United Kingdom, whom he met in online suicide forums. The guilty pleas relate to Canadian victims, but Law is linked to the deaths of 79 Britons, and families of UK victims expressed anger that prosecutors did not charge him.
Guilty plea and legal agreement
Law entered the guilty pleas in an Ontario court on Friday as part of an agreement with prosecutors, who dropped 14 counts of murder in exchange. The court heard that Law sent 330 packages to 286 recipients in the UK. His arrest in 2023 followed a complex investigation involving at least 11 law-enforcement agencies. Law was initially charged with 14 counts of aiding suicide and 14 counts of murder in Canada.
UK prosecution decision
The Crown Prosecution Service said the Canadian legal system will account for the losses of UK families. A letter from the CPS, seen by the BBC, stated that Law would not face charges in the UK due to legal complexities. Specialist Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Andrew Hudson said including UK victims in the Canadian sentencing process was the "quickest and most effective route" to securing justice. Hudson noted that a successful extradition was "far from guaranteed and would have taken years to conclude," and there was a risk that any prosecution "could have been blocked under double jeopardy principles" if he was extradited. He added: "A condition of our agreement with the Canadian prosecutor was that Kenneth Law's sentence must reflect the fact that people died in England and Wales as a direct result of using products that he supplied to them. No victim has been left behind as part of this process." Law was also linked to the deaths of five people in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland.
Victims and family statements
Ontario resident Ashtyn Prosser-Blake, 19, was one of Law’s victims who died by suicide in March 2023. His mother, Kim Prosser, told the BBC: "He was just such a super happy, really gentle soul, always looking to stand up for the underdog, the kids that got picked on." Prosser-Blake’s mental health declined after COVID-19 – when he graduated, 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 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 £50 ($67; C$92) for the substance. His body was found in a hotel in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, in 2021. Parfett said: "I had wanted Law to face charges in the UK... he really needed to face justice over here."
Calls for public inquiry
David Parfett is calling on the UK government to hold a public inquiry into the deaths linked to Law. "I think that a public inquiry is needed because we need action across multiple government departments and unfortunately, we are not seeing that coordination and that understanding of how to address the problem today," he said. "Fundamentally, the government is failing in its duty to protect life." The BBC has approached the Home Office for comment.
Context: The case echoes other instances where individuals have been prosecuted for facilitating suicide through online sales, such as the 2018 conviction of a man in the United States who sold sodium nitrite kits to people on suicide forums. In 2022, a UK man was jailed for supplying a lethal substance to a vulnerable person he met online.