Families of victims affected by Canadian poison seller Kenneth Law addressed an Ontario court during a four-day sentencing hearing. Law has admitted to 14 counts of aiding suicide in Canada and has been linked to nearly 80 deaths in the UK.
The mother of British victim Samuel Whitaker delivered a tearful video statement on the second day of the proceedings, describing the catastrophic impact of her son’s death. According to Tanya Whitaker, her 19-year-old son was a University of Warwick student when he was found collapsed outside his halls after taking poison sold by Law.
Samuel was just 19 when he was handed the tools that ended his precious life. It has broken me completely and utterly. It has broken us as a family and me as a mother. Our son died alone at university 100 miles away from his family. We will never be able to forgive ourselves for this happening.
Tanya Whitaker, mother of Samuel Whitaker
Global Reach of Kenneth Law’s Online Forum Sales
Investigators note that the ex-chef Kenneth Law distributed approximately 1,200 shipments of dangerous chemicals to buyers across 40 different nations whom he encountered through web-based suicide discussion boards. Roughly a quarter of those packages were sent to the UK. Law was taken into custody in May 2023 after an intricate probe involving no fewer than 11 police and security bodies, drawing in personnel from roughly 12 nations such as the US, Italy, and the UK.
Because of a plea deal with Canadian authorities, Law will not face charges in the UK or over any British deaths. However, impact statements from their families are being read this week.
Impact Statements From British Families in Court
Debbie Cornish shared her family’s ongoing struggle following the death of her daughter, Danielle Cornish, who took poison sold by Law. According to Debbie Cornish, her family remains part of a surreal nightmare and is still fighting to stay together years after the loss.
Words on paper can’t even begin to describe the painful loss of our amazing daughter. Nothing will be the same ever again as we are part of a surreal nightmare.
Debbie Cornish, mother of Danielle Cornish
The court also reviewed statements from other grieving relatives. Faith George recalled the nickname Chimma used for her daughter, Faith Ike-Elechi, and described finding her helpless on the floor. Maurice Dunham detailed the profound trauma of discovering his son, Michael Dunham, dead following an early return from a family holiday in Croatia. Additional statements were presented by the mother of Yeanu Mistry and Maureen Cooper, the mother of Gary Cooper, who described the pain of her son’s death as unbearable.
A British Survivor’s Testimony on Exploitation and Survival
Proceedings earlier in the week featured testimony from a British survivor who was given an antidote that saved her after taking poison from Law. Elisabeth Belien recounted the psychological toll of her experience during the court sessions.
I feel guilty for surviving. Although I survived, it has also impacted my loved ones. I feel like my vulnerability was exploited. I still feel a lot of shame about what happened.
Elisabeth Belien, British poison survivor
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