Canadian seller Kenneth Law pleads guilty to aiding suicides worldwide

Kenneth Law, a 60‑year‑old former chef from Ontario, Canada, entered guilty pleas to 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide in a Newmarket court. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors withdrew 14 murder charges; sentencing is slated for September and could exceed the Canadian maximum of 14 years due to the scale of the offences.

Law operated multiple websites that sold sodium‑nitrite and other lethal chemicals, marketed as “suicide kits” with detailed instructions. Investigators estimate he shipped about 1,200‑1,209 packages to customers in more than 40 countries, including roughly 330 packages to the United Kingdom and 160 to Canada. The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) say 79 UK victims died after using his products, with a total of 112 deaths reported in Britain. In Canada, 14 deaths were directly linked to his kits, and families of victims in Britain have criticized the decision not to prosecute him there. The CPS and NCA will ask the Canadian judge to consider the British deaths during sentencing. Authorities in the United States, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand also participated in the investigation, highlighting the trans‑national nature of the case.