Adedokun Waliyu 
A Canadian man accused of helping people around the world end their lives by selling poison online has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide.
Kenneth Law entered the guilty plea in a court in Newmarket, north of Toronto, after prosecutors announced they would withdraw the murder charges against him.
Since his arrest in 2023, investigations into online forums linked to Law have sparked outrage in several countries. Authorities said he provided advice and materials to distressed individuals seeking to end their lives.
Law had originally faced 14 murder charges alongside 14 counts of aiding suicide. However, prosecutors stated they did not believe they had a strong enough case to secure murder convictions.
Standing in court with his lawyers, Law pleaded guilty to assisting in the suicides of 14 people in Canada.
Sentencing will take place at a later hearing, expected in September, when the court will also hear statements from victims’ families.
Legal experts say aiding suicide is a serious offence in Canada and could lead to a prison sentence of between 10 and 20 years.
The 60-year-old former chef admitted in an agreed statement of facts that he shipped parcels to hundreds of people in several countries, including Australia, France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
The decision not to pursue murder charges disappointed some families affected by the deaths.
David Parfett, whose 22-year-old son Thomas died in 2021 using materials allegedly supplied by Law, said he believed the case amounted to murder.
“If he hadn’t been offering detailed instructions about how to take your own life, then the chances are my son would still be here,” Parfett said.
He has since campaigned for stricter laws against harmful online communities that encourage suicide.
Authorities in the United Kingdom also revealed that no criminal charges would be filed there in connection with deaths linked to Law.
Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said it is investigating 112 deaths connected to the case.
Parfett criticised the decision and renewed calls for a public inquiry into how such online activities were allowed to continue.
Another parent, Kim Prosser, whose son Ashtyn died in 2023, described the court hearing as part of a painful healing process.
“It’s a beginning to another chapter of this process of healing,” she said.
Legal experts noted that one major issue for prosecutors was whether the same actions could legally qualify as both counselling suicide and murder.
A law professor from Dalhousie University, Robert Currie, explained that prosecutors had hoped Canada’s Supreme Court would provide clearer guidance on the issue, but the court did not directly answer that question.
