Close X
Sunday, November 10, 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

Iran witnesses worst unrest in years as anti-hijab protests spread

Iran witnesses worst unrest in years as anti-hijab protests spread
Anger erupted after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from the north-western city of Saqez, died at a hospital in Tehran last Friday following three days in a coma. She was visiting the capital with her family on September 13 when she was arrested by morality police officers, who accused her of violating the law requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab and their arms and legs with loose clothing. 

Iran witnesses worst unrest in years as anti-hijab protests spread

Continuity and change expected for King's rule

Continuity and change expected for King's rule
It's a high bar to clear for the King, who in both his private and public life, has raised eyebrows for conduct that his critics see as unbecoming of a royal. But this generational divide could be prove both an asset and a liability, experts say, positioning the King to make changes befitting of a modern monarch, while maintaining the continuity of dynastic power.

Continuity and change expected for King's rule

Death toll in catastrophic Pakistan flooding reaches 1,559

Death toll in catastrophic Pakistan flooding reaches 1,559
In the last 24 hours, 15 new fatalities were reported, all in the worst-hit Sindh province, reports Xinhua news agency citing the NDMA as saying. The victims included a child and three women. 12,716 km of roads and 374 bridges were damaged.

Death toll in catastrophic Pakistan flooding reaches 1,559

Father burns 12-year-old son to death in Karachi for not doing homework

Father burns 12-year-old son to death in Karachi for not doing homework
His father, Nazir Khan, reportedly poured kerosene over Shaheer and lit a match in an attempt to terrify the boy into completing his homework, but the flame ignited the oil and set the child ablaze, the report said. 

Father burns 12-year-old son to death in Karachi for not doing homework

Our world is in big trouble, says UN chief Guterres

Our world is in big trouble, says UN chief Guterres
With those explosive words, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on Tuesday listing the crisis upon crisis piled upon the world. He listed them: war, conflicts, climate change, hunger, financial crises, challenges of runaway technology developments, hate speech, global divisions and inequalities, and massive human rights violations.

Our world is in big trouble, says UN chief Guterres

Queen Elizabeth honoured at state funeral

Queen Elizabeth honoured at state funeral
Thousands of mourners lining the streets of London stood by in respectful silence as a procession made up of military members and Queen Elizabeth's family carried her coffin past city landmarks at the end of her official state funeral.

Queen Elizabeth honoured at state funeral