Families Deliver Over 70 Victim Impact Statements at Kenneth Law Sentencing Hearing
Parents grieving children who died after receiving suicide paraphernalia from Kenneth Law addressed a court in Newmarket, Ont., where more than 70 victim impact statements were delivered over two days. Law was convicted of counselling or aiding 14 suicides in Ontario, while a CBC News investigation linked him to at least 147 deaths globally.
Parents grieving the loss of their children addressed the second day of Kenneth Law’s sentencing hearing on Thursday, delivering emotional accounts of how their lives changed after receiving suicide paraphernalia from the convicted man.
Over two days, more than 70 victim impact statements were heard in a courtroom in Newmarket, Ont. Families described lives split between the time before and after the death of their loved ones, with mothers reporting an inability to work or socialize due to grief. The victims remembered ranged in age, but many were teenagers or young adults, with the youngest aged 14. Some victims were from the U.K.
Law was convicted this year of counselling or aiding 14 suicides in Ontario. He admitted to running websites that sold suicide paraphernalia to vulnerable people who later died. A CBC News investigation found Law is suspected of being tied to at least 147 deaths around the world. Throughout the statements, Law sat in the prisoner's box without showing reaction or emotion.
One mother recalled holding her 21-year-old daughter as she died after ingesting sodium nitrite from a package received from Law. The daughter's last words were reportedly, "I'm sorry, I drank it." Emergency officials had to wear hazmat suits to move a victim's body due to toxicity.
Keiren Maher stated his son Ben, who volunteered with a mental health organization in the U.K., may have saved someone's life before his own death. Ross Gibson, a 30-year-old man, was found dead in his apartment; his mother Linda said Law "killed the person I used to be."
Mark Bailey died in January of this year after taking sodium nitrite. His 11-year-old daughter still texts his phone for comfort. Imogen Nunn died at age 25; her mother Louise Nunn expressed anger that Law would not face justice in the U.K. Families also called for wider accountability regarding the years passed before Law's arrest.
The court adjourned after the two days of hearings. Crown and defence lawyers are scheduled to make their submissions on Nov. 27.