Who is Kenneth Law—the ‘poison seller’ linked to hundreds of suicides worldwide?

World-famous "poison seller" from Canada admits sending ‘suicide packets’ to hundreds of people around the world.

A man named Kenneth Law has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicides in Canada after he sold toxic chemicals online.

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A 60-year-old Canadian entered the guilty pleas relating to Canadian victims 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, including the UK.

Families of British victims have said they are angry with UK prosecutors for not charging Law, who is linked to the deaths of 79 Britons. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the Canadian legal system will take the losses of UK families into account.

A letter from the CPS, seen by the BBC, said Law would not face charges in the UK because of legal complexities.

Specialist CPS prosecutor Andrew Hudson said including UK victims in the Canadian sentencing process was the "quickest and most effective route" to securing justice.

Hudson said a successful extradition was "far from guaranteed and would have taken years to conclude", and there was a risk if he was extradited that any prosecution "could have been blocked under double jeopardy principles".

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.

Kenneth Law appeared in a packed courtroom in Newmarket, Ontario, on Friday to enter the plea after prosecutors agreed to withdraw 14 murder charges. Sentencing is expected to take place in September.

Law, pleaded guilty to multiple charges of "counseling or aiding suicide." He told Justice Michelle Fuerst he understood the scope of his crimes and was voluntarily entering a plea.

Family members were emotional as the court read out each of the charges, and Law confirmed his role in the deaths of 14 people, aged 16 to 36, across the province of Ontario. He also admitted sending the lethal substances that caused the death of 79 people in the UK.

The closely watched case has highlighted the challenges of policing online forums that promote suicide and sell fatal substances. Bereaved families in the UK, where Law is linked to scores of deaths, have renewed their call for a public inquiry.

The court was told that Law sent suicide kits to people in 40 countries and territories, but most were sent to people in the UK and the US.

About 'poison seller' Kenneth Law

Law, a one-time engineer and cook at a Toronto hotel, ran a series of websites that sold lethal chemicals to at-risk people around the world.

To evade detection, Law offered other products—including hot sauce to give the illusion that he operated as an industrial food-prep wholesaler.

The distinct silver packets warned that the use of the product was the sole responsibility of the user. He also sold suicide paraphernalia and gave detailed instructions about how to use the items. Investigators say Law sent 1,209 packages to people in 41 countries before his websites were shut down.

An investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency into Canadian websites found that 286 individuals in the UK had received packages from Law, leading to 112 deaths. 

A deal between Canadian prosecutors and the UK’s National Crime Agency, announced on Friday, means Law’s role in the UK deaths will also be considered by the judge in his sentencing.