Former Canadian chef Kenneth Law has pleaded guilty to aiding suicide after authorities linked his online sale of toxic "suicide kits" to 79 deaths in the United Kingdom and more than 1,200 shipments to customers in over 40 countries worldwide.
Law, 60, entered guilty pleas in an Ontario court on May 29 to 14 counts of counseling or aiding suicide involving Canadian victims aged 16 to 36, as part of a deal that saw prosecutors drop more serious murder charges.
He acknowledged his role in the deaths of 14 people in Canada and admitted supplying the lethal substances used by dozens more abroad, according to prosecutors and court records. The Crown said he faces a lengthy prison term, with sentencing expected later this year, according to People.
Investigators say that between January 2021 and April 2023, Law operated multiple websites that marketed and sold high-purity sodium nitrite and related "suicide kits" to people he met through online suicide forums.
Customers allegedly received packets of sodium nitrite along with items such as scales, masks and chemical-resistant materials, as well as detailed instructions on how to use the products to cause death. Authorities say these sites were shut down after international media reports and covert inquiries exposed his activities.
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Prosecutors and police agencies in Canada and the UK say Law shipped about 1,200 packages to buyers in more than 40 countries and territories, with the largest numbers going to the UK, the US and Canada, The News reported.
Evidence presented in court and cited by investigators indicates he sent around 330 packages to the UK, 431 to the US and 157 to Canada. Officials in England and Wales have linked his products to 73 deaths there, with five additional deaths reported in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland, bringing the UK total to 79.
The case emerged after an investigation by "The Times" newspaper, whose undercover reporter posed as a customer to expose Law's willingness to supply the chemical and advise on lethal use, prompting coordinated police probes in several countries.
Law told investigators he began selling the poison after watching his mother suffer following a non-lethal stroke, though authorities say he went on to target vulnerable people at risk of self-harm.
Families of victims in the UK have criticized the decision not to seek his extradition, while the Crown Prosecution Service has said Canadian proceedings will take their losses into account, as per Business Insider.
