British victim of suicide poison seller died in hotel room in the company of a stranger she met online, distraught sister tells court

A young woman was found dead in a hotel room after swallowing poison in the company of a stranger she met online, a court has heard.

Aimee Louise Elif Walton, 21, bought the illegal substance for $269 on several occasions between June 2022 and September 2022.

She was discovered unresponsive in Slough, Berkshire, on October 14, 2022 after reportedly struggling with her mental health following the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in her delaying her studies.

Ms Walton, from Southampton, was one of 79 victims from the UK known to have died as a direct result of purchasing poison from Kenneth Law, who sold 1,200 packages to 40 countries across the world from Canada-based websites.

Law, 61, previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide, all relating to Canadian victims.

Although he was not formally charged with the deaths, the 79 UK victims also form part of the wider Canadian case into his offending.

Ms Walton’s sister, Adele Zeynep Walton, recorded her victim impact statement in a video which was played out in court in Ontario, Canada, on Thursday.

In her statement, Adele Walton said her sister was not found by a friend, as previously reported, but died in the company of a stranger she had met in an internet forum where people discussed ending their own lives.

Aimee Walton, left, with her sister Adele Zeynep Walton. Aimee Walton was discovered unresponsive in Slough, Berkshire on October 14, 2022

Ms Walton ‘died in a strange place, in a strange city, in the company of a stranger’, her sister said

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The man ‘had flown from America to be with her when she died’, and had been staying with her for 11 days prior to her death, she said.

‘She died in a strange place, in a strange city, in the company of a stranger,’ Adele Walton told the court.

‘You only need to listen to the recording of the emergency call to know how much she suffered during the last moments of her life.’

Authorities previously informed the victims’ families Law would not face criminal proceedings in the UK because of the potential for the accused to challenge the extradition under ‘double jeopardy’ laws.

Adele Walton, along with other family members of the British victims, previously criticised the decision, saying ‘doors have been shut’ for families seeking justice.

‘The question for our own country is simpler still: who here will examine how the British state let this happen, and what it will do so that no other family goes through it?’ Adele Walton previously said.

‘A foreign sentencing hearing cannot answer that. Only a statutory public inquiry can.’

Law sent a total of 330 products to the UK, with 286 individuals receiving the products, according to the National Crime Agency.

Aimee Walton with singer-songwriter and music producer Pharrell Williams – of whom she was said to be a huge fan

Photo issued by Peel Regional Police of Kenneth Law, 57, of Mississauga

The court previously heard Law was the sole owner of four companies, with one firm’s website offering a ‘set of instructions’ and advertising 40-minute telephone consultations for $150 (£111).

The court in Ontario also heard how Law would occasionally frequent an online forum where users discussed ending their lives and he would post under the pseudonym ‘Greenberg’ to direct people to one of his websites.

The maximum sentence for aiding suicide in Canada is 14 years – the same for encouraging suicide in the UK.

It is understood the sentence in Mr Law’s case is likely to be more than 14 years because of the number of victims and the nature of the offences.

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