The UK’s National Crime Agency is conducting an investigation into the potential crimes committed by Kenneth Law, a Canadian chef, after linking him to 88 deaths in Britain.
In April, the NCA received intelligence suggesting a large number of people in the UK had bought substances to assist with suicide from Canada-based websites, after Law was caught supplying a lethal poison to suicidal people via a Canadian website.
An Interpol list containing the details of 232 of his British customers was passed to the NCA from Canadian authorities, according to the Times, which first reported the development. Subsequent inquiries have found that 88 of those people died.
Law, 57, a former aerospace engineer working at a high-end hotel kitchen, was arrested and charged in Canada in May with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide, after admitting to an undercover reporter that “many, many, many, many” people had died after taking the substances he sold online.
He is accused of selling more than 1,200 lethal kits to people contemplating suicide in 40 countries.
The NCA said after receiving intelligence in April that people in the UK had been buying products to assist with suicide from Canada-based websites, it had immediately liaised with the police to conduct welfare checks on all the named recipients in the UK.
If Law were charged in relation to the British deaths he would have to be extradited to the UK, where assisting suicide carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
Craig Turner, an NCA deputy director, said: “Our deepest sympathies are with the loved ones of those who have died. They are being supported by specially trained officers from police forces.
“In consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, the NCA has taken the decision to conduct an investigation into potential criminal offences committed in the UK. This operation is under way.”
The agency added that at this early stage there were no “confirmed links” between the items bought from the websites and cause of death in any of the 88 cases.
Canadian authorities are conducting investigations relating to deaths in Canada but told the NCA that no cases from outside its jurisdiction would be included in its investigations or prosecutions.
Law has denied reports that he was willingly selling products to help people die by suicide.
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In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
