Key facts
- Kenneth Law, a Canadian poison seller, is facing sentencing in Ontario.
- Law has admitted to 14 counts of aiding suicide in Canada.
- He is linked to nearly 80 deaths in the UK.
- Law sold about 1,200 packages of toxic substances to people met in online suicide forums.
- Roughly a quarter of the packages were sent to the UK.
- Law was arrested in May 2023 following an international investigation.
The sentencing hearing for Canadian Kenneth Law, accused of selling poison that led to numerous deaths, heard emotional statements from the families of his victims. Tanya Whitaker, mother of 19-year-old Samuel Whitaker, described how her son's death after taking poison sold by Law had "broken" her and their family. Samuel was found collapsed outside his university halls.
Debbie Cornish, whose daughter Danielle also died after taking Law's poison, spoke of the ongoing struggle to keep her family together and the "surreal nightmare" they are living. Law, a former chef, is alleged to have sold about 1,200 packages of toxic substances to individuals he met in online suicide forums across 40 countries, with approximately a quarter sent to the UK. He was arrested in May 2023 following an international investigation.
Other parents also shared their profound grief. Faith George recounted finding her daughter, Faith Ike-Elechi, helpless after she ingested the poison. Maurice Dunham described the shock and self-blame he felt upon discovering his son, Michael Dunham, dead. Maureen Cooper called the pain of losing her son Gary "unbearable," and Elisabeth Belien expressed guilt for surviving and feeling her vulnerability was exploited.