Latest news with #Poisoned:KillerinthePost
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Who is Kenneth Law, and when will alleged ‘poison killer' stand trial?
Find out what he's on trial for and why it has been delayed TRIAL TIME Who is Kenneth Law, and when will alleged 'poison killer' stand trial? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRITISH university student's death uncovered a string of suicides across the world that involved buying lethal but legal substances online. Poisoned: Killer in the Post is a two-part documentary series on Channel 4 which exposes how a deadly poison was sold online to aid people to commit suicide. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Poisoned: Killer in the Post is a two-part documentary series on Channel 4 Credit: Wonderhood 4 Tom Parfett died alone in a Premier Inn room after buying and using the poison often found on suicide forums. Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk The investigations began after university student Tom Parfett died alone in a Premier Inn room after buying and using the poison often found on suicide forums. Police in Canada have arrested and charged one man, Kenneth Law, with first-degree murder and aiding suicide in connection with providing the product to people in Ontario. But after Tom's father, David and The Times investigated further they found an eerily similar pattern of deaths using the same method in the UK, US, Canada, Germany and Australia. Samantha Anstiss, from Wonderhood studios which produced the documentary, said: 'This urgent and powerful series is testimony to the bravery of bereaved families determined to prevent further deaths and stop young people from being preyed upon online.' Who is Kenneth Law? 4 Law began working as an aerospace engineer before becoming a chef Credit: The Times Kenneth Law is a 59-year-old Canadian from Ontario. He holds degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Toronto, management science from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from York University. Mr Law began as an aerospace engineer before he became a chef working at a five-star hotel in Toronto called the Fairmont Royal York. It was there where he allegedly ran a sideline business selling poison online to people who wanted to take their own lives. What has he been alleged to have done? 4 Law has been charged with 14 counts of first-degree murder and 14 of counselling or aiding suicide relating to 14 Canadian victims Credit: AP The 59-year-old was arrested by police in Canada in May 2023, after The Times had published a piece revealing the findings of their investigation. Canadian police allege he sent 1,209 packages to 41 countries but cannot say how many contained poison. The UK's National Crime Agency has connected Law to 99 deaths in Britain. Mr Law was originally charged with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide, but this has now been upgraded to 28 counts, including 14 of first-degree murder and 14 of counselling or aiding suicide relating to 14 Canadian victims. Under Canadian law, first-degree murder is defined as being the deliberate and planned killing of another person. All of the charges are linked to the deaths of people from across Ontario, aged 16 to 36. He is intending to plead not guilty. When is he to stand trial? Mr Law is set to stand trial for all 28 charges in January 2026. The trial was scheduled initially for autumn 2025 but prosecutors requested the Supreme Court of Canada give an opinion on whether assisting suicide can be charged as murder. This request is why the trial has been delayed until the start of next year. Mr Law is currently in prison awaiting trial. If convicted, he faces imprisonment for life with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Who is Kenneth Law, and when will alleged ‘poison killer' stand trial?
A BRITISH university student's death uncovered a string of suicides across the world that involved buying lethal but legal substances online. Poisoned: Killer in the Post is a two-part documentary series on Channel 4 which exposes Advertisement 4 Poisoned: Killer in the Post is a two-part documentary series on Channel 4 Credit: Wonderhood 4 Tom Parfett died alone in a Premier Inn room after buying and using the poison often found on suicide forums. Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk The investigations began after university student Police in Canada have arrested and charged one man, Kenneth Law, with first-degree murder and aiding suicide in connection with providing the product to people in Ontario. But after Tom's father, David and Samantha Anstiss, from Wonderhood studios which produced the documentary, said: 'This urgent and powerful series is testimony to the bravery of bereaved families determined to prevent further deaths and stop young people from being preyed upon online.' Advertisement Read more on Kenneth Law Who is Kenneth Law? 4 Law began working as an aerospace engineer before becoming a chef Credit: The Times Kenneth Law is a 59-year-old Canadian from Ontario. He holds degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Toronto, management science from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from York University. Mr Law began as an aerospace engineer before he became a chef working at a five-star hotel in Toronto called the Fairmont Royal York. Advertisement It was there where he allegedly ran a sideline business selling poison online to people who wanted to take their own lives. Most read in The Sun What has he been alleged to have done? 4 Law has been charged with 14 counts of first-degree murder and 14 of counselling or aiding suicide relating to 14 Canadian victims Credit: AP The 59-year-old was arrested by police in Canada in May 2023, after The Times had published a piece revealing the findings of their investigation. Canadian police allege he sent 1,209 packages to 41 countries but cannot say how many contained poison. Advertisement The UK's National Crime Agency Mr Law was originally charged with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide, but this has now been upgraded to 28 counts, including 14 of first-degree murder and 14 of counselling or aiding suicide relating to 14 Canadian victims. Under Canadian law, first-degree murder is defined as being the deliberate and planned killing of another person. All of the charges are linked to the deaths of people from across Ontario, aged 16 to 36. Advertisement He is intending to plead not guilty. When is he to stand trial? Mr Law is set to stand trial for all 28 charges in January 2026. The trial was scheduled initially for autumn 2025 but prosecutors requested the Supreme Court of Canada give an opinion on whether assisting suicide can be charged as murder. This request is why the trial has been delayed until the start of next year. Advertisement Mr Law is currently in prison awaiting trial. If convicted, he faces imprisonment for life with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
The true story behind documentary Poisoned: Killer in the Post
Channel 4's new documentary, Poisoned: Killer in the Post, explores the case of a man who has been accused of supplying a chemical to people who took it and died by suicide. The two-part programme follows The Times journalist James Beal as he investigates the case of Kenneth Law, after hearing about the death of student Tom Parfett. The 22-year-old died in Surrey in 2021 after buying a lethal substance online. Beal's investigation led him to Law, a Canadian chef who has been accused of shipping poison to people intending to take their own lives. Law, who was working at a restaurant in Toronto, was arrested in 2023. He is charged with 14 counts of murder and 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide in connection with the deaths of 14 people in Canada, who ranged in age from 16 to 36. He goes on trial next year and his lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, has said that he intends to plead not guilty. Beal started looking into the case after being contacted by Tom's father David. Tom, who grew up in High Wycombe and had studied philosophy at St Andrews in Scotland, had faced some mental health struggles and had been seeking help. But in October 2021 he died alone at a Premier Inn in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey after ingesting a poison, which is not illegal but can be lethal. His father David later discovered that it had been purchased from a Canada-based website, which was allegedly run by former aerospace engineer Law. The substance had gained popularity on a suicide forum. After Tom died, his father started looking into what had happened and how his son had managed to get hold of the substance, and joined the suicide forum himself, pretending to be somebody seeking help. "I was shocked for sure," he said. "I didn't know such places existed. They talk about methods, success rates... it wasn't hidden away in a dark corner of the internet... there were lots of people all over the world interacting with this platform." He later saw posts on the forum apparently written by his son after he had taken the poison. 'I know Tom would have died in agony,' he said in the documentary. 'And yet nobody called an ambulance. Nobody tries to find him, nobody asked the question, 'Where are you, what can we do?'" Police in Canada have alleged that Law, 59, sent more than 1200 packages to people in 41 countries, including the UK, although it is not clear how many of these packages contained poison. It has been reported that 131 deaths around the world have been linked to his products. Ninety people in the UK who received packages later died, the National Crime Agency has said. However, it isn't known whether they died as a result of ingesting poison. Investigations were also launched in other countries, including the US and Australia, following the allegations against Law. Earlier this year, the watchdog Ofcom announced that it was investigating the suicide discussion forum. Last year it was confirmed that Law's case would go directly to trial. It is bypassing an earlier inquiry stage that would usually assess the strength of the evidence. He was due to go on trial in September and October 2025 but it was delayed and will now begin in January 2026. If Law is convicted, he faces life imprisonment. The National Crime Agency is looking into potential offences linked to the deaths of people in the UK but so far Law is only facing charges in Ontario in Canada. For confidential emotional support contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@ Poisoned: Killer in the Post continues at 9pm on Channel 4 on Thursday, 10 July.
Metro
4 days ago
- Health
- Metro
I bought the online poison that killed my son
The innocuous-looking envelope arrived through the letterbox in a tiny packet that could fit in the palm of your hand. However, the contents that landed on David Parfett's Maidenhead doormat were anything but harmless. Inside the plastic ziplock bag was 50 grams of a lethal white substance. After looking intently at his delivery, David put it back into its Canadian-stamped packaging and stowed it safely in his loft. The poison, postage and packaging came in at around $60CAD (approximately £30). David had purchased the substance to try to understand how difficult it would be to get hold of what killed his 22-year-old son, Tom. He found it disturbingly easy. 'Tom was just a lovely person who saw the good in people,' David, 56, tells Metro. 'One of his teachers described him as having an amazing moral compass. He was an incredibly intelligent man who I'm sure would have had an amazing career. I miss him dearly.' Tom's mother, Julia, described their son as a 'fine young man with an infectious laugh'. Growing up with anxiety, autism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder meant Tom didn't have it easy. His mental health severely faltered when his philosophy degree at the University of St Andrews was disrupted by the pandemic. 'A close friend of one of his best friends took his own life soon after starting university, and that was one of the first times I talked to him about it,' remembers David, who works as a data director. 'He was quite clear that he didn't want to use a method that potentially could go wrong or leave him disabled. He said he wanted to find something that was painless, cheap and reliable. 'I was naive enough to think that it was impossible, and therefore, we had time to help him. I'm pretty sure that he would be here today if he didn't find that online.' David and Julia separated 11 years ago, and Tom lived with his dad for five years as a teen. They spoke regularly and had a close relationship. When Tom started struggling with suicidal thoughts, he sought mental health support, was prescribed antidepressants and moved closer to home. Around the same time, he'd discovered suicide forums online where he was directed to a substance that he was told was effective and painless. In October 2021, Tom, who had also tried to take his own life the month previously, checked into a Premier Inn in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, ingested the small package of poison that he had ordered online and died. 'Grief is quite an individual process, but it is difficult to keep going. It's hard to think about anything else after losing Tom like that. There's guilt and the thought – could we have done any more to stop it,'says David, who shares his story in the new Channel 4 series, Poisoned: Killer in the Post. A year after his son's death, David, who now lives in Twickenham, was going through the police notes to the coroner and noticed that the package containing the poison came from a company run by a Canadian chef, Kenneth Law, the same name he'd seen on the stuff he'd ordered. David went to the police with this information, but because the substance is legal to buy, sell and export, they said they were unable to do anything. He then contacted a reporter called James Beal, who went undercover to request a phone consultation with Law. The Times journalist claimed that during the call, Law told him that he had sent his product to 'hundreds' of people in the UK and that he was doing 'God's work'. He also said he had set up the business after seeing his mother suffer following a stroke – a claim that has not been verified – and urged James to buy the poison so that he has something 'readily available.' Shortly after the story was published, Kenneth Law was arrested. He is now awaiting trial in Canada next year, facing a total of 14 first-degree murder charges and 14 counts of aiding and counselling suicide. His lawyer has said he will be pleading not guilty. At this point, forces across the UK were alerted that packages had been sent out and started visiting addresses, including David's. All of the charges are linked to the deaths of people from across Ontario aged 16 to 36, but he is believed by the Canadian force to have sent more than 1,200 so-called suicide kits to around 40 countries, including the UK. The National Crime Agency are investigating potential criminal offences linked to the deaths of 97 individuals who purchased items to assist with suicide online. An NCA spokesperson said: 'The National Crime Agency continues to investigate potential criminal offences linked to the deaths of individuals in the UK who purchased items to assist with suicide from Canada-based websites. Our investigation explores all viable leads linked to these websites and a Canadian suspect in order to identify evidence of crimes committed in the UK. Specialist officers continue to provide support to victims and families.' Assisting suicide is illegal in the UK and Canada and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison in both countries. Law's websites have been taken down, and he remains in custody. His trial is likely to be held in January next year, where his lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, has said he will plead not guilty. Meanwhile, suspected victims have been found around the globe; in France, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and New Zealand. In the UK, packages have been found in Cumbria, Surrey, London, Plymouth and the Isle of Wight. As the scale of Law's alleged involvement in vulnerable people's deaths emerged, David wanted to do more to understand and publicise the dangers, which is why he ordered the poison online. He was on holiday on the Isle of Wight when the police knocked on his door a few days after the package arrived. David's youngest son, Harry, answered the door and showed the police to the attic where the poison was stored; they retrieved it and took it off to be destroyed. Following Law's arrest, Interpol had contacted local forces across the globe so officers could visit the homes who'd received the packages. Thames Valley Police coming to retrieve the substance was a 'brilliant result' for David. While charities warn against publicising information about suicide methods, which is why Metro won't name the substance that killed Tom, David wants to highlight how simple it can be to buy online. 'I was just trying to follow Tom's footprints and understand what he went through. It was incredible how easy it was to find, which is just astonishing.' David also disputes the idea that this particular material, which has only been used in suicides in the past decade, provides a painless end, as it was advertised online. 'It is an excruciating death – and that is backed up by medical research. That is by no means painless.' He explains: 'It's important to educate people. I work in IT and have used the internet ever since I could. And yet, before Tom died, I was blissfully unaware that he could go online and find this stuff. He didn't have to go on the dark web or anything. If you've got a kid like my son, you need to be aware of these dangers 'Tom had been on a suicide forum. I didn't even know these places existed. He actively started to chat to a few people, found the information he wanted about how to take his own life and where to buy it. 'If you've got a kid like my son, you need to be aware of these dangers, and then at least you can arguably do something about it. I want to educate families that this is out there, so they can talk to their young people about it. Because these sites are echo chambers. They take what you're feeling and amplify it. It's sick.' And those selling the poisons and making money from suicide websites continue to profit from death, says David. 'It is difficult to understand people's motivations. To actually trade things for suicide as a business, I can't think of many worse acts. Encouraging people to take their own lives is just monstrous and quite beyond comprehension.' Meanwhile, Tom's family is left with grief, devastation, and a yearning to ensure others don't suffer in the same way. Last year, David set up the Thomas William Parfett Foundation to improve online safety for vulnerable people and prevent the supply of poison online. More Trending 'If you look at any product you can buy, a meal from a restaurant or a car from a dealer, there is a duty of care on the people who provide that product to make sure it does no harm. And yet, you can build an internet site that encourages suicide,' he explains. 'It seems quite incredible to me that the internet doesn't have that safety by design. It is hugely frustrating, knowing that there will be people who are not necessarily in the best of mental health, who are looking for advice, but unfortunately, they will find people who encourage them to take their own lives. 'It just seems ridiculous that we allow it. And I am determined to stop it.' A version of this story was first published in May 2025. MORE: Glastonbury headliner branded 'dreamiest boss' after paying for entire crew to have therapy MORE: Is this the new 'Circle of Shame' in 2025? MORE: Boy, 14, arrested after rape near Surrey library
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Poison killer' under investigation for 99 UK deaths but who is Kenneth Law
Channel 4's latest documentary investigates the shocking alleged crimes of 'poison chef' Kenneth Law, who is accused of sending over 1,200 packages of poison across the globe, resulting in 99 deaths in the UK alone Assisting in another person's suicide is an offense under UK law, so why then is there an active pro-suicide forum accessible to UK citizens in which users promote and celebrate the death's of others? And even worse: why is an alleged serial killer, who used these sites to target vulnerable people, laughing about the lack of accountability he faces? Channel 4 's new documentary Poisoned: Killer in the Post, exposes a chilling international investigation into how a deadly poison was sold online and linked to nearly 100 deaths in the UK alone. In the show, which airs on July 8 and 9 at 9pm, The Times' investigative journalist James Beal is led to investigate the so-called 'poison chef', Kenneth Law, who is accused of sending over 1,200 packages of poison across the globe. Earlier this year, I interviewed online safety activist and author Adele Walton, whose sister Aimee is believed to be one of 99 people in the UK to have received the chemical poison from the Canadian-national Law. Who is the alleged 'poison killer'? Kenneth Law is a Canadian national, based in Toronto, Ontario. Prior to his infamy as a mail-order suicide drug provider, he worked at the Fairmount Royal York Hotel in Toronto, where it is said that Queen Elizabeth stayed when she was in the city. Toronto Life reported that Law saw the opportunity to sell an otherwise legal drug for illicit purposes in the summer of 2020. He began selling packets of poison for $59 plus shipping costs. Law ran numerous websites - which we will not be naming here - to sell poison and other suicide paraphernalia. One such product he offered was a 40-minute consultation call with a prospective client, which James takes him up on in the Channel 4 documentary. In a chilling moment in the documentary, Kenneth laughs as he tells James: "The UK government has no jurisdiction to the Canadian government. They're not going to bring me over the UK for this. It's too small." Law was arrested by Canadian police in May 2022, and is currently awaiting trial for 14 counts each of first-degree murder and aiding suicide in January 2026, according to CBC. How many people received packages? It is reported that Law sent 1,200 packages through his websites. Law is said to have sent suicide kit packages to 40 countries, via the pro-suicide site. The Mirror has taken the editorial decision not to name either the forum or the drug. In the UK, the National Crime Agency has identified 288 individuals who bought the poison from the website, in a two year period leading up to April 2023. The scope of the NCA investigation relates to the supply of substances from Canada to these individuals. Of these, the NCA are investigating 99 potential criminal offences. A spokesperson from the NCA told The Mirror: 'The National Crime Agency continues to investigate potential criminal offences linked to the deaths of individuals in the UK who purchased items to assist with suicide from Canada-based websites. Our investigation explores all viable leads linked to these websites and a Canadian suspect in order to identify evidence of crimes committed in the UK. 'We are investigating potential criminal offences linked to the deaths of 99 individuals who purchased items to assist with suicide from these websites… Specialist officers from police forces continue to provide support to victims and families.' What is the pro-suicide site? In April 2025, OFCOM announced an investigation into the pro-suicide forum, to assess whether the site fails to comply with The Online Safety Act . However, the website remains live and accessible for UK citizens, despite this ongoing investigation into harmful content. On the site, there are extremely detailed instructions on how to take the poison. Elsewhere, posters use acronyms to urge others to 'catch the bus' - or take their own lives - on this forum. Full threads weigh up various methods with a stark detachment from hope. It is truly astonishing how this website can remain active while under investigations for the deaths of UK citizens. Speaking to the Mirror, an OFCOM spokesperson said in relation to the site: 'UK law sets out the process Ofcom must follow when investigating an individual provider and deciding whether it has failed to comply with its legal obligations. 'We are currently gathering and analysing evidence to determine whether a contravention has occurred… Where we identify compliance failures, we can require platforms to take specific steps to come into compliance. We can also impose fines of up to £18m or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. "Where appropriate, in the most serious cases, we can seek a court order for 'business disruption measures', such as requiring payment providers or advertisers to withdraw their services from a platform, or requiring Internet Service Providers to block access to a site in the UK.' At time of writing, the OFCOM investigation remains ongoing. A Government spokesperson for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology said: 'Suicide devastates families and social media companies have a clear responsibility to keep people safe on their platforms. 'The law is crystal clear. Under the Online Safety Act, services must take action to prevent users from accessing illegal suicide and self-harm content, and ensure children are protected from legal content that promotes or instructs on these behaviours. Ofcom has the power to take tough enforcement action, including substantial fines. 'Ofcom has already launched enforcement action against companies failing to meet their online safety duties, including a suicide forum. Several other harmful forums have also since withdrawn access for UK users.' Big Tech's responsibility The chemical sold by Kenneth Law is available on one of the world 's biggest online retailers: Amazon UK. I reached out to Amazon to ask about whether they plan to ban or regulate the sale of this poison, but at time of writing I have received no response to this query. I spoke with Carrie Goldberg of C.A. Goldberg, PLLC, a legal firm that represents 29 families whose children were sold the chemical through Amazon. Carrie tells me: 'Families were reporting to Amazon as early as 2019 that it was selling a suicide chemical,' before adding that she personally reported the sale to the online retailer in April 2021. 'No retailer should be selling and delivering [this poison] to households,' she tells me. C.A. Goldberg is representing two families in the McCarthy v Amazon lawsuit over the sale of the chemical. Carrie said: 'In all states in the US, it is criminal to knowingly facilitate a person's suicide. 'A teaspoon of the [potent poison], if ingested, is as lethal as a gunshot wound to the head,' she said. Carrie added: 'We won motions [in the McCarthy case] to dismiss and Amazon appealed those. The McCarthy case is on hold until the outcome of these state court appeals.' The oral argument is scheduled for September 9, 2025. The victims Throughout Channel 4's documentary, the family and friends of those who died from Law's suicide kits speak of their loss. They talk about the vibrant, spirited, and loving people they lost through the pro-suicide forum and the packages they received from Law. David Parfett, father of Tom Parfett, who died in a hotel room after ingesting poison, reads the final messages his son made. Tom writes on a so-called 'goodbye thread' that he had taken the drug, and posts his bodily reactions in his last moments. It's harrowing to watch this father read a description of his son's death in this way, as anonymous posters responded to his son to tell him he was not alone. They would see him on the other side, one said. I spoke to author and activist Adele Walton about her reaction ahead of the documentary's release. She said: "This documentary is a revelatory wake-up call to the often invisible online harms that more and more people each day are experiencing. With a death toll of 99 victims including my sister, this is a public health crisis, and one that requires immediate and bold action from the Government, coroners and police, if we are to prevent future deaths. "Tech companies should have a duty of care over their users, and their failure to make the digital world safe by design is costing innocent people their lives.' The Mirror has reached out to: Interpol; Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton; and Amazon for comment. For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@ visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
