Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
International

UK police are investigating the deaths of 88 people linked to Canadian self-harm websites

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 25 Aug, 2023 10:32 AM
  • UK police are investigating the deaths of 88 people linked to Canadian self-harm websites

British police said Friday they are investigating the deaths of 88 people in the U.K. who bought products from Canada-based websites allegedly offering lethal substances to people at risk of self harm.

The probe is part of international inquiries sparked by the arrest in Canada earlier this year of Kenneth Law, who has been charged with two counts of counseling and aiding suicide. 

Canadian police say Law, from the Toronto area, used a series of websites to market and sell sodium nitrite, a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be deadly if ingested.

Police said Law is suspected of sending at least 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries. Authorities in the United States, Italy, Australia and New Zealand also have launched investigations.

Britain’s National Crime Agency said it has identified 232 people in the U.K. who bought products from the websites in the two years until April, 88 of whom had died.

The agency said it was investigating whether any crimes had been committed in the U.K., but that “at this early stage there are no confirmed links between the items purchased from the websites and cause of death in any of these cases.”

“Our deepest sympathies are with the loved ones of those who have died. They are being supported by specially trained officers from police forces,” said National Crime Agency Deputy Director Craig Turner.

Peel Regional Police, the Ontario police force that arrested Law in May, declined to answer questions Friday about how many people it had linked to its investigation. 

"In order to protect the integrity of this complex, multi-jurisdictional investigation, we are not able to release specific details at this time," spokesperson Const. Sarah Patten wrote in a statement. 

"As the investigation progresses, we will provide more details to the public when investigators have deemed it appropriate."

Peel police have said 11 Ontario police forces are taking part in a joint investigation.

Law was scheduled to appear at a bail hearing on Friday afternoon. 

MORE International ARTICLES

Trump faces 'legal tsunami' post NY court arraignment

Trump faces 'legal tsunami' post NY court arraignment
Trump's trusted allies and donors in the Republican Party and business tycoons have shied away and his 'best friend' media baron Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, has dumped him in favour of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is yet to announce his nomination.

Trump faces 'legal tsunami' post NY court arraignment

Love him? Hate him? For Donald Trump, attention is attention

Love him? Hate him? For Donald Trump, attention is attention
His intent was obvious — to show that in the arena of the American attention economy, where the fighting forever rages, Donald J. Trump remains a potent force. Commanding attention has been his world, and politics is a realm of attention. Whether the legal realm, which he has successfully avoided until now, will be anywhere near the same for him may be another reality entirely.

Love him? Hate him? For Donald Trump, attention is attention

Trump's historic plea: not guilty to 34 counts

Trump's historic plea: not guilty to 34 counts
In total, Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records, all of them allegedly "with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof," the now-unsealed indictment reads.    

Trump's historic plea: not guilty to 34 counts

Trump becomes first former US President to be arrested

Trump becomes first former US President to be arrested
Trump became the first former President to be arrested and face a trial in the nation's 246-year history, plunging the US into unchartered legal and political territory. He is also a candidate for next year's presidential election, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, and only two per cent behind President Joe Biden in polls. 

Trump becomes first former US President to be arrested

The 'slippery slope' of indicting an ex-president

The 'slippery slope' of indicting an ex-president
One expert says Thursday's historic indictment of a former president is sure to make the line between politics and justice even more blurry. Neama Rahmani, a former assistant U.S. attorney who's now a personal injury lawyer in California, says prosecutors have always been wary of politically sensitive cases.

The 'slippery slope' of indicting an ex-president

2 Indian-origin men arrested for stealing $109K from elderly woman in US

2 Indian-origin men arrested for stealing $109K from elderly woman in US
Nikit S Yadav, 22, and Raj Vipul Patel, 21, of Parsippany in New Jersey were involved in a computer virus scheme and demanded funds from the victim to remove unwanted items from their computer. The victim called a tech support number to assist with an issue with her computer last week.

2 Indian-origin men arrested for stealing $109K from elderly woman in US