Bereaved British families expressed outrage after UK authorities announced on Thursday they will not extradite or prosecute Canadian online suicide kit vendor Kenneth Law.
Law is scheduled to enter a guilty plea in an Ontario court on Friday.
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An investigation by the National Crime Agency discovered that 286 individuals in the UK received packages from Law's websites, resulting in 112 deaths.
Law faces accusations of shipping 1,200 suicide packages to 40 countries.
The National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service informed the affected families of the decision just one day before Law's scheduled Canadian court appearance.
The 60-year-old is expected to admit to sending the lethal products internationally.
Adele Zeynep Walton, whose 21-year-old sister Aimee died in 2022 after purchasing a kit from Law, strongly criticized the British authorities for their inaction.
"It's absolutely insane that the NCA and CPS are not going to do anything about it. It is so insulting," said Walton.
The British agencies defended their joint decision in a formal letter sent directly to the grieving families. They noted that multi-jurisdictional crimes often utilize a single judicial process.
"After careful assessment, we agreed that Mr Law should be sentenced for the full extent of his offending within a single sentencing process in Canada.
This approach is not unusual in cases involving serious offending that crosses international borders," stated the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service in a letter.
The agencies acknowledged that the decision would cause emotional distress to the relatives who wanted a domestic trial.
"We recognise that this may be painful to hear, and that some victims and bereaved families may have hoped to see a separate prosecution in England and Wales," they stated.
Walton argued that the unprecedented nature of the online operation required a modified response from the British legal system.
"When have we ever had people using the internet in order to target and seek out vulnerable people and assist them systematically in suicide?
This is a new epidemic of assisted suicide. I think the approach of the NCA and CPS needs to adapt with the times," said Walton.
She expressed concern over the message the lack of UK prosecution sends to others.
"If they're not going to prosecute a man who potentially could be one of UK's biggest serial killers, then what message does that send to other people like him?"
said Walton.
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Walton contrasted the government response to this crisis with other major national tragedies.
"There are more victims than the Grenfell disaster and yet no one seems to be talking about this and there's no willingness from the government, from the NCA and CPS to bring justice to families," said Walton.
She confirmed that the relatives intend to maintain their public campaign.
"We are going to keep fighting because the only reason that we continue to share our trauma is to prevent future deaths," said Walton.
David Parfett, whose 22-year-old son Thomas died by suicide after buying a kit, expressed deep frustration with the official response and demanded a formal public inquiry.
"I am angry, but I am not surprised. For months, we have been told that the system is working and that existing measures are enough.
They are not," said Parfett.
The British government previously rejected demands to launch a public inquiry regarding the matter last month.
"If our own country will not put anyone on trial for these deaths, the very least it can do is hold a proper inquiry into how they were allowed to happen," said Parfett.
Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, called the timing of the announcement a severe disappointment for the campaigners.
"Bereaved families have been campaigning tirelessly to hold Kenneth Law to account in the UK and to be told he will not be prosecuted here on the eve of his court case in Canada is a bitter blow," said Burrows.
Burrows warned that ongoing access to the online platforms and lethal substances leaves more individuals vulnerable across international borders.
"Families up and down the country have been impacted by Law's crimes and should have the right to full justice in the UK.
As long as the pro-suicide forum remains online, and while this substance is available in the UK and across borders, more vulnerable people are at risk," said Burrows.
Top officials from both investigating agencies issued a concluding statement regarding their administrative focus during the international case.
"No outcome in any court can remove the pain victims and their families have suffered.
Victims have remained our priority when making decisions to deliver justice," said Joanne Jakymec, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, and Craig Turner, Deputy Director at the NCA.
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The bereaved families are scheduled to meet with legal representatives at the law firm Leigh Day next week to determine their subsequent actions.
