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- By Angus Crawford and Tony Smith
- BBC Information
Watch: BBC doorsteps Leonid Zakutenko
A Ukrainian man promoting a poison regarded as linked to at the least 130 UK deaths has been recognized by the BBC.
Leonid Zakutenko marketed his companies on a web site selling suicide and he informed an undercover reporter he sends 5 parcels per week to the UK.
He has been supplying the identical substance as Canadian Kenneth Regulation, who was arrested final yr and is now dealing with 14 homicide expenses.
Mr Zakutenko denied the claims when challenged by the BBC.
He was tracked right down to his dwelling in Kyiv and denied that he bought the lethal chemical, which the BBC is selecting to not identify.
Nevertheless, our investigation discovered that he has been supplying the substance for years.
The chemical can legally be bought within the UK, however solely to corporations utilizing it for a legit goal.
Suppliers should not promote to prospects except they’ve carried out fundamental checks on what the substance is for use for.
It could possibly show deadly if ingested in even small doses.
‘Contemptible’
Zakutenko was described as a “contemptible and evil human being” by the household of dual sisters Linda and Sarah, who died in London final yr after the Ukranian provided them with poison.
Linda was given “easy accessibility to a ‘dying equipment’ for a couple of kilos” after discovering out in regards to the vendor on a widely known suicide discussion board, in keeping with sister Helen Kite.
She described her sisters, 54, as “clever, caring and articulate”.
If you happen to’ve been affected by the problems on this story, assist and help is accessible through the BBC Action Line
Ms Kite mentioned that the dearth of motion by the authorities to forestall her sisters and plenty of others gaining access to the chemical was “a nationwide shame”.
The chemical Zakutenko sells is brazenly mentioned on the discussion board utilized by Linda, with members advising each other on the best way to purchase after which use it.
The chemical could also be linked to greater than 130 UK deaths since 2019, in keeping with scientist Prof Amrita Ahluwalia, an professional in vascular pharmacology at Queen Mary College of London.
She analysed blood and different samples from individuals who had died, which have been despatched to her from pathologists and police across the UK.
Prof Ahluwalia’s evaluation signifies greater than 130 deaths might have been attributable to the chemical
Of 187 checks she discovered 71% confirmed excessive traces of the chemical, indicating that at the least 133 individuals might have died on account of ingesting it.
“One thing must be completed,” Prof Ahluwalia mentioned.
“With what it is getting used for, there needs to be a full investigation of the problems. It needs to be regulated in order that its use is for its meant functions.”
Homicide expenses
He’s thought to have bought the chemical greater than 1,200 instances to patrons in 40 nations around the globe and is linked to at the least 93 deaths within the UK.
Our investigation discovered that Zakutenko has been promoting the identical chemical since at the least November 2020.
He additionally affords three completely different prescription medicines, referred to in on-line suicide guides.
He even briefly promoted his service on the identical suicide discussion board as Mr Regulation.
Since then, customers have handed on his contact particulars via direct messages.
Zakutenko was confronted in Kyiv by the BBC
We traced Zakutenko to a small flat in a Soviet-era tower block in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.
We challenged him outdoors his native publish workplace the place he had been posting extra parcels.
We requested him why he was sending a toxic chemical to individuals who needed to finish their lives.
“That could be a lie,” he informed us, earlier than placing his hand over our digital camera and attempting to stroll away.
We all know that at the least one of many parcels contained the chemical as a result of we positioned an order that day and obtained a monitoring quantity shortly after Zakuetenko left the publish workplace.
When requested what he needed to say to the households of the lifeless, he replied: “I do not perceive what you’re speaking about”.
Firmer motion
David Parfett’s son Tom, 22, purchased the identical chemical from Kenneth Regulation, and used it to finish his life in October 2021.
Mr Parfett now campaigns to close down the suicide discussion board and cease sellers like Zakutenko.
The British authorities have recognized in regards to the chemical and the net commerce since at the least September 2020, after they have been alerted by a coroner who examined the dying of 23 year-old Joe Nihill.
Tom Parfett and Joe Nihill
The coroner wrote to police, the chief coroner and a chemical provider warning them in regards to the deadly commerce within the substance.
Since then, coroners throughout England have written to completely different authorities departments on at the least 5 events recommending motion be taken in regards to the chemical and the suicide discussion board.
Mr Parfett purchased a consignment from Zakutenko in December 2023 as a result of he needed to check the system to see if the authorities would intercept the parcel.
He had a “welfare verify” from police a couple of days after putting the order, however he nonetheless obtained the chemical inside weeks and didn’t obtain one other police go to.
“I nonetheless cannot imagine that was occurring immediately, with all the pieces we all know now in regards to the variety of deaths,” mentioned Mr Parfett.
Comparable welfare checks on UK patrons have been carried out after Kenneth Regulation was arrested in Canada.
The Nationwide Crime Company has confirmed that there are circumstances of individuals – who purchased the substance from Regulation – dying after police had carried out welfare checks.
“Such circumstances are addressed by police forces in step with their insurance policies and nationwide pointers,” a spokesperson mentioned.
Kenneth Regulation traded on the identical discussion board as Zakutenko and is linked to at the least 93 deaths within the UK
Mr Parfett and Ms Kite are each calling for firmer motion to be taken in opposition to the discussion board the place their family members Tom and Linda discovered in regards to the chemical.
Ms Kite described the positioning as “an abomination, preying, unimpeded by the authorities, on essentially the most susceptible and inflicting untold distress and struggling for these left behind”.
The federal government says the brand new On-line Security Act, which turned legislation final yr ought to assist limit entry to this type of discussion board.
