Canadian accused of aiding 112 UK deaths to face no justice in Britain
A Canadian man accused of selling lethal substances linked to the deaths of over 100 British people will not face justice in the UK, according to an announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Kenneth Law is set to appear in court in Ontario, Canada, on Friday, charged with aiding suicide after allegedly distributing 1,200 packages across 40 countries, including the UK.
An investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) into Canadian websites selling substances to aid in suicide uncovered that 286 individuals in the UK received packages, resulting in 112 deaths.
However, despite Ontario prosecutors taking Law to court, the NCA and CPS have informed the bereaved families that they will not seek to extradite the 60-year-old to the UK after the conclusion of legal proceedings in Canada.
In the letter sent on Thursday, the CPS and NCA also noted that Canadian authorities confirmed that Law is expected to plead guilty to charges of aiding suicide there.
The letter – seen by the Press Association – stated: “After careful assessment, we agreed that Mr. Law should be sentenced for the full extent of his offenses within a single sentencing process in Canada. This approach is not unusual in cases involving serious offenses that cross international borders.
“We recognize 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.”
The CPS and NCA also said in the letter that it had been established that Law sent a total of 330 products to the UK.
A joint statement by Joanne Jakymec, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, and NCA Deputy Director Craig Turner indicated that the organizations would be available to support victims and their families.
“The National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service have worked closely with the 45 UK police forces, as well as international law enforcement, throughout the three-year investigation.
“The UK is the only country globally with an investigation detailed enough to be included in the Canadian prosecution.”
The families of those who died have now called for a public inquiry.
The sister of 21-year-old Aimee Walton, from Southampton, who died in 2022, said that “doors have been shut” for families seeking justice.
“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 said: “The question for our own country is simpler still: who here will examine how the British state let this happen, and what it will do so that no other family goes through it?
“A foreign sentencing hearing cannot answer that. Only a statutory public inquiry can.”
David Parfett, the father of philosophy student Thomas Parfett, who died at 22 after taking his own life in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, said: “I am angry, but I am not surprised.
“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.”
Law was also investigated by police in the United States, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.
Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “Bereaved families have been campaigning tirelessly to hold Kenneth Law accountable in the UK and to be told he will not be prosecuted here on the eve of his court case in Canada is a bitter blow.
“Families across the country have been impacted by Law’s crimes and should have the right to full justice in the UK.
“As long as the pro-suicide forum remains online, and while this substance is available in the UK and across borders, more vulnerable people are at risk.”
Deputy Editor
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