UK survivor of Canadian poison seller says he exploited her despair

Kenneth Law, a former chef, is facing sentencing in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for selling approximately 1,200 packages of toxic substances to individuals met in online suicide forums across 40 countries, with about a quarter sent to the UK. A survivor, Elisabeth Belien, testified that she received poison from Law at age 23, stating he exploited her despair. The investigation involved at least 11 law-enforcement agencies from multiple countries. Victim impact statements were read, including one from David Parfett, whose son Tom died in October 2021, and from the parents of 14-year-old Henry Tucker, who died in October 2021. Law was arrested in May 2023.

At a court hearing on Wednesday, relatives of individuals who died by suicide using poison sold by Kenneth Law shared their grief and pain. Law, a former chef, pleaded guilty in May to aiding in the suicide of 14 people in Canada. Prosecutors lacked evidence to convict him of murder, despite his online forums advising on how to end lives. Law admitted to actively seeking customers and making fatal substances available for purchase. The hearing is to determine Law's prison sentence, with victims' families recounting their profound loss.