Canadian man who sold 'poison suicide kits' to 286 people in the UK pleads guilty
But UK authorities have said they won't seek his extradition to face justice here which bereaved family members have told LBC is "disappointing and infuriating"
A Canadian man who sold "poison kits" linked to the deaths of more than 100 British people has admitted 14 counts of aiding suicide.
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But despite Kenneth Law's "suicide kits" being linked to 112 deaths across the UK, authorities have confirmed they won’t seek his extradition, a move bereaved family members have described as "disappointing" and "infuriating".
Instead, the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) say they’ve agreed the Canadian judge will take Law’s overseas offending into account when sentencing him.
It comes as the 60-year-old pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide in a court in Ontario, Canada, this afternoon.
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In total, he sent 330 packages to 286 people in the UK over a two-year period before his arrest in May 2023.
Law's site was promoted by users of a suicide forum which has been linked to the deaths of 135 people in the UK.
Following an LBC investigation, Ofcom, which regulates sites in the UK, recently fined the forum's operator £950,000 for failing to adhere to the Online Safety Act.
Andrew Hudson, specialist prosecutor at the CPS, told reporters that while Law won't be charged with the UK deaths, his guilty plea also covered his offending here.
"The Canadian sentencing judge will be able to consider the immense harm and devastation he has caused our victims and we made it clear that he had to accept all of our evidence," Mr Hudson said.
“We were not prepared to leave any victim unaccounted for where we could link the cause of their death with Kenneth Law’s products.
"We believe this properly takes account of the totality of his offending and eliminates the risk that he could have avoided responsibility for the devastating harm he has caused.
"The extradition process was far from guaranteed and could have taken years to conclude.
"This means a meaningful outcome will be delivered in a matter of months, rather than years, and the sentence expected in Canada is likely to be similar to that which could have been passed if he were prosecuted here."
The National Crime Agency started investigating Law after Canadian authorities shared intelligence that poison was being shipped to the UK, which had been bought on suicide forums linked to him.
Families of his victims have now called for a public inquiry into his offending, after hitting back at UK authorities for not seeking his extradition.
The sister of 21-year-old Aimee Walton, from Southampton, who died in 2022, said that "doors have been shut" for families seeking justice.
Adele Zeynep Walton told LBC: "It's really disappointing for me as a sister. It's infuriating. And I know that all the other bereaved families feel the exact same.
“He needs to be extradited here. He needs to hear from the people that he has impacted. He needs to stand in a UK court and be held to account for the crimes in this country. I think it's lazy to piggyback off the decision in Canada.
"It's really hard to preserve the positive, incredible, inspiring moments of Aimee’s life at a time when we are still fighting for justice.
"We have still not had her inquest yet. She died nearly four years ago and we are now fighting for this public inquiry.
"So, sadly, until I think we get justice, I won't be able to cherish those moments and preserve those memories of her."
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