VANCOUVER -- An Abbotsford, BC, man has been charged with counselling a person to commit suicide after allegedly encouraging a woman in her 40s to kill herself and providing her with the means to do so, according to police.

Kenneth William Carr, 53, was charged after a woman with choke marks on her neck came forward to Abbotsford police.

A family member encouraged the woman, who suffers from depression, to report Carr's alleged involvement.

Const. Ian MacDonald said that this is an unusual case as the charge typically applies to strangers – observers encouraging jumpers to leap to their deaths, strangers provoking suicidal people online – or those advising the terminally ill on how to end their lives.

With the exception of the terminally ill, counselling to commit suicide cases don’t generally involve friends or acquaintances, MacDonald said.

An investigation and search warrant have led police to believe that this may not have been an isolated incident. Police are encouraging people to come forward if they have information about similar occurrences.

Const. Ian MacDonald commends the woman and her family member for coming forward, saying that it must have taken courage.

“I’m sure that wasn’t an easy decision, but certainly the right decision,” he said. “I’m hoping that if there are others out there that they will follow that lead.”

If convicted, Carr faces a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.