Crown demands 12 years in prison for Amanda Todd’s persecutor

Camille Bains, The Canadian Press

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — The Crown on Tuesday requested 12 years in prison for the “remorseless” Dutchman who committed multiple sexual offenses against Amanda Todd, a B.C. teen who took her own life thereafter, at age 15.

On the first day of the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, prosecutor Louise Kenworthy said Amanda Todd was the victim of an extortion scheme orchestrated by a man hiding behind numerous identities to threaten her.

Amanda Todd, from Port Coquitlam, was 15 when she committed suicide in October 2012. She had just posted a video on social media, where she used cardboard to describe in words how she had been blackmailed at hands of an anonymous online predator, for three years.

“His behavior was calculated, cruel, and had devastating consequences,” argued the prosecutor before the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

« The Crown’s contention is that Mr. Coban represents a high risk of recidivism and that he must be isolated from society for a long period of time in order to protect the children, » she added. intention of Judge Martha Devlin.

Aydin Coban was convicted by a jury last August of extortion, criminal harassment, communicating with a minor to commit a sexual offence, luring children, and possessing and distributing child pornography.

He had not been charged in connection with the teenage girl’s death.

Coban has been detained since 2014 after being convicted of similar acts in the Netherlands. His Canadian sentence should be served consecutively to that of 11 years imposed by Dutch justice, asked Me Kenworthy. She said she expects the defense to seek the imposition of a concurrent sentence equivalent to that already served.

The prosecutor reminded the court on Tuesday that Coban began luring Amanda Todd when she was just 12 years old. When she finally decided to stop putting on a show for him online, he followed through on his threats: he sent embarrassing photos and videos of the teenager to her family, students at her school and the management of the establishment.

Coban was extradited from the Netherlands to face charges in British Columbia. It was learned at trial that he used 22 separate online accounts to harass the teenager and extort sexual favors from her for several years before her death.