Poison bought on the internet has been linked to the deaths of 88 people in the UK and the National Crime Agency is investigating whether or not they were purchased to assist with suicide.
Mr. Law, 57, was arrested in the Canadian province of Ontario in May and has been charged with two counts of counselling and aiding suicide after allegedly selling a lethal substance to people across the world.
Peel Regional Police have alleged Mr. Law, who lives in Mississauga, near Toronto, ran several websites that marketed and sold sodium nitrite, a lethal substance commonly used to cure meats.
Mr. Law is accused of sending 1,200 packages to 40 countries and his operation is being investigated by police in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Italy.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it received information in April suggesting a number of people in Britain had purchased products from the websites.
The NCA said 232 individuals in the UK had purchased products from the websites in the two years prior to April 2023 and 88 of them have died.
Relatives of the 88 Being Supported by Trained Officers
The agency’s deputy director, Craig Turner, 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 underway,” it added.
The father of 22-year-old Tom Parfett—who took his own life in October 2021 after allegedly buying sodium nitrite from one of the Canadian websites—criticised police for being slow to wake up to the threat posed by Mr. Law.
He said there were other unregulated websites promoting suicide and said: “What can be done immediately to close down internet sites that prey on vulnerable young people and prosecute the people who take pleasure in helping others take their own life?”
In May, Ontario Provincial Police alerted the public to report any packages received from five companies they allege are connected to Mr. Law: Academic, AmbuCA, ICemac, Escape Mode, and Imtime Cuisine.
Growing Concern About Suicide Websites
In recent years there has been growing concern about the proliferation of websites about suicide and self-harm.She had viewed online content related to depression and self-harm for months before taking her own life on Nov. 21, 2017.
She said the update would create a new offence that would target communications that encourage someone to physically harm themselves, making it illegal to do so, and bringing it in line with communications that encourage suicide, which are already illegal.
