The new cases have come to light following the prosecution of Kenneth Law in Canada for supplying harmful substances to aid suicide, with five Scots among his victims
Prosecutors are investigating a number of deaths in Scotland involving the suspected use of ‘suicide kits’ or related poisons which are typically bought online.
Details of the cases have emerged following the prosecution of Kenneth Law in Canada, who was involved with the sale of toxic substances through an internet shop with his crimes linked to 70 British deaths, including five in Scotland.
Campaigners described the new cases as “incredibly disturbing” and said “glacially slow” action to eradicate harmful sites linked to suicide had resulted in “completely preventable deaths”.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “COPFS is aware of a small number of deaths involving the suspected use of ‘suicide kits’ or related substances bought from individuals other than Kenneth Law.
“Every death reported to the Procurator Fiscal is investigated on its individual facts and, where appropriate, consideration is given to whether criminality may have contributed to the death.”
Families from Scotland are among those who gave harrowing testimonies to a court in Ontario last month about the impact of Law’s crimes during the four-day sentencing hearing of the former chef. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Law pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding and counseling suicide in Canada and formally acknowledged responsibility for deaths in both the UK and internationally as part of a plea agreement.
The Mollie Rose Foundation, which was set up by Ian Russell in memory of his 14-year-old daughter who died by suicide in 2017 after being exposed to harmful self-harm and suicide content online, has heavily campaigned for tougher action against the presence of sites such as those linked to Law’s crimes. This month the foundation called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to launch a public inquiry into the issue.
Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “It is incredibly disturbing that suicide kits are seemingly continuing to be promoted and sold on online suicide grooming forums which exist to encourage and coerce vulnerable people to end their lives.
“Regulators and the UK Government have been glacially slow to act on these threats, resulting in completely preventable deaths.
“It is now crucial there is a public inquiry launched into the forum responsible for at least 164 UK deaths to learn lessons quickly and ultimately save lives.”
Details of the new cases come after prosecutors in Scotland worked closely with families and authorities in Canada on the Law case, with the National Crime Agency leading a complex three-year investigation into his crimes.
Canadian prosecutors requested that his offending in the UK was taken into account at his conviction as part of Agreed Sentencing Facts to increase the sentence he received in Canada.
A move to extradite Law for trial in both Scotland and England was discounted by both COPFS and the Crown Prosecution Service.
A statement from COPFS added: “Following careful consideration of the five deaths reported to us, we determined that the appropriate course was for proceedings to be taken forward in Canada. Scottish prosecutors and police worked closely with Canadian prosecutors throughout the investigation and prosecution.
“The conviction of Kenneth Law is an important step in holding him accountable for his actions.
“We recognise the lasting impact of these deaths, and our thoughts remain with the families affected at this difficult time."
Emma Morrison, who previously lived in Dundee, earlier spoke of her survival after purchasing a substance from a website linked to Law. She was approached by an individual after communicating on an online forum and then referred to a website to make a purchase.
She said “It wasn’t a good time of my life, I’ve since got treatment and gotten a lot better and I regret that I ever even went down that path.”
Ms Morrison, who was in her early 20s at the time, said the website she was directed to posed as an account for cooking supplies, but the only thing in stock was the harmful substance.
“It was like shopping on Amazon,” she said. “It was just a full site setup for it and shipped off — I had a tracking number and everything. It arrived in about a week.”
She survived after receiving emergency care and was later contacted by Police Scotland with her case feeding into the National Crime Agency investigation.
Ofcom investigated a forum linked to Law, which led to it being geo-blocked to the vast majority of users in the UK, with a £950,000 penalty imposed on the provider. The regulator could apply to a court for a business disruption measures order but considered the statutory grounds could not be met because of action taken by the provide to restrict access to UK users..
The foundation continues to call for the site to be shut down completely under the Online Safety Act.
The Molly Rose Foundation has worked with families in England wo have criticised the CPS decision not to prosecute or extradite Law for trial.
The foundation confirmed that families in Scotland which have been affected by Law’s crimes had not been part of the campaign for Law to be tried in this country.