Canadian poison seller pleads guilty as UK families demand public inquiry
The Crown Prosecution Service confirms 73 UK deaths linked to toxic chemical sales, while bereaved relatives call for coordinated government action.
Kenneth Law, a 60-year-old Canadian former chef, has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicides in an Ontario court, marking the conclusion of a high-profile international case involving the online sale of lethal substances. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, more serious murder charges against Law were withdrawn, a move confirmed by his legal representative, Matthew Gourlay.
Law is alleged to have distributed approximately 1,200 packages of poison to recipients across 41 countries, including over 100 shipments to the United Kingdom. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stated that the Canadian legal proceedings will take into account the losses suffered by UK families, although the CPS confirmed that Law will not face charges in Britain due to legal complexities.
British authorities initially investigated whether 88 deaths were linked to Law’s chemical packages, but the CPS has since narrowed this figure, stating that 73 deaths in the UK could be connected to his activities. The agency’s decision not to prosecute domestically has drawn sharp criticism from bereaved relatives, who argue that the current legal framework is insufficient to address the cross-border nature of the crime.
David Parfett, whose 22-year-old son Thomas purchased the substance for the equivalent of £50, expressed profound anger at the outcome. Thomas was found dead in a hotel in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, in 2021. Parfett described his son as a "massive football fan" who "really saw the joy in life," and stated that he wanted Law to face justice in the UK to ensure accountability.
Parfett is now calling on the UK government to hold a public inquiry, arguing that current inter-departmental coordination is inadequate. He asserted that the government is failing in its duty to protect life and that a comprehensive review is necessary to understand how to address the problem. The BBC has approached the Home Office for comment regarding the CPS decision.
Law’s arrest in May 2023 followed a complex investigation involving at least 11 law-enforcement agencies and investigators from around a dozen countries, including the UK, Italy, and the US. The case gained significant attention after a 2023 Times investigation alleged that Law counselled a journalist posing as a customer on how to use his products to "best ensure death."
Under Canada’s criminal code, convictions for aiding suicide can carry a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. Law has been detained in Newmarket, Ontario, since his arrest, following a UK coroner’s report that alleged he sold toxic substances to individuals in the UK who subsequently died by suicide.
