Man admits sending ‘suicide packets’ worldwide by selling lethal chemicals online

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

Families across the UK have been left furious after learning that a Canadian man linked to deaths around the world will not face a separate prosecution in Britain.

The case has centred on packages of lethal substances sold online and sent to people in dozens of countries, with investigators saying hundreds of people in the UK alone received products connected to the websites.

Authorities have said the matter will now be dealt with as part of proceedings in Canada, where the full scale of the offending is set to be considered by the court at sentencing later this year.

Kenneth Law, 60, appeared in court in Ontario, Canada, on Friday and admitted 14 counts of aiding suicide, all relating to Canadian victims.

Aimee Walton’s family is among those demanding a public inquiry (PA)

The National Crime Agency (NCA) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said 79 UK victims who died as a direct result of purchasing Law’s products will form part of the wider Canadian case.

Investigators said Law sold more than 1,200 packages to around 40 countries from Canada-based websites. In the UK, 286 people are understood to have received his products, with 112 deaths linked to them.

The NCA and CPS also told bereaved families that Law would not face criminal proceedings in the UK due to the possibility that he could challenge extradition after being convicted of similar offences in Canada.

British prosecutors described Law as a ‘serial offender who callously exploited many vulnerable and innocent people, exchanging their lives for his financial gain’.

A letter sent to families explained why the UK deaths would instead be taken into account overseas.

It said: “We recognise that this may be painful to hear, and that some victims and bereaved families may have hoped to see a separate prosecution in England and Wales.”

“This difficult decision was reached only after detailed consideration of all available options.”

Damon Hayes, senior investigating officer at the NCA, said including British victims in the Canadian case “guarantees all victims and families in the UK will see justice”.

UK families say Canadian sentencing cannot answer their questions (PA)

He added: “This approach is not unusual in cases involving serious offending that crosses international borders.”

“This will allow the judge to take into account the full extent of Law’s criminal behaviour, including the fact that his actions resulted in the deaths of people in this country.”

However, some families have strongly criticised the decision.

David Parfett, whose 22-year-old son Thomas Parfett died in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, said: “I am angry but not surprised.”

He added: “For months, we have been told that the system is working and that existing measures are enough. They are not.”

“If our own country will not put anyone on trial for these deaths, the very least it can do is hold a proper inquiry into how they were allowed to happen.”

Adele Zeynep Walton, whose sister Aimee Walton died in 2022, said ‘doors have been shut’ for families seeking justice.

She said: “A foreign sentencing hearing cannot answer that. Only a statutory public inquiry can.”

If you are affected by this story, Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123, by emailing [email protected] or by visiting samaritans.org.