Dutch national Aydin Coban has been convicted of extortion, two counts of possession of child pornography, child enticement and criminal harassment against Amanda Todd, the BC teenager whose story went viral after she killed herself nearly a decade ago. A jury handed down the verdict at the Supreme Court in New Westminster, BC, after a day of deliberations. Todd’s mother, Carol Todd, sat in the back row of the audience gallery Saturday, taking notes. She repositioned herself when Coban returned to the courtroom, within his line of sight. He reacted strongly as each guilty verdict was read in court. Coban, wearing a navy blue button-down shirt, showed little reaction as the verdict was read. Amanda Todd committed suicide on October 10, 2012, after posting a video on YouTube saying she had been blackmailed by an online predator. (Telus Originals) Their verdict comes after seven weeks of testimony involving dozens of witnesses, exhibits and evidence presented by Crown prosecutors before closing arguments began. Coban’s defense attorney did not call any evidence at trial. On Friday, BC Supreme Court Justice Martha Devlin spent the day instructing jurors that they could only find Coban guilty of the charges against him if the Crown had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Otherwise, he said, they must acquit him. Aydin Coban is pictured at the time of his arrest, placed in an exhibit during his trial at the BC Supreme Court. The 44-year-old has been convicted of extortion, two counts of possession of child pornography, child enticement and criminal harassment against Amanda Todd. (BC Supreme Court) Over the course of several hours, Devlin reviewed the testimony and evidence presented to jurors during the long and complicated trial. He guided jurors through the definition of each criminal charge sworn against Coban, explaining the criteria the Crown had to meet in order to convict him. Todd committed suicide on October 10, 2012, aged 15, after online exploitation over a three-year period. Before she died, she told her story in a nine-minute video posted on YouTube. The video went viral around the world after her death, with 14.8 million views as of August. Coban, 44, had pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges related to the Todd case, including extortion, possession of child pornography and child seduction. He was not charged in Todd’s death. Attorney Louise Kenworthy wrapped up her arguments earlier last week, saying there was a “treasure trove of information” linking Coban to Todd’s harassment and blackmail. Earlier in the trial, a Dutch officer testified that a deleted video file named “AmandaTodd.wmv” had been played on one of the devices in December 2010, corresponding to a period when Todd was being actively harassed. Carol Todd, the mother of Amanda Todd, is pictured outside the Courts of Justice in New Westminster, BC, on June 6, 2022. (Ben Nelms/CBC) However, Coban’s defense argued that sharing a link “is not child pornography.” The video was sent as a link, but there was nothing to indicate it was stored as data on the seized devices, Joseph Saulnier told the jury on the second day of his closing arguments. The defense lawyer also disputed Crown claims that Coban was behind 22 online accounts that harassed and blackmailed Todd. Earlier in the trial, the jury heard from a BCMP officer who had originally investigated Todd’s harassment claims in 2011. He said Todd wanted the harassing messages to stop. Todd’s parents went to the police when the messages to their daughter continued even after she had changed schools. Todd’s mother, Carol, attended every day of Coban’s trial, sitting in the back of the courtroom a few feet from the prisoner’s box. The defendant sat with his back to her. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, here’s where you can get help: This guide from the Addiction and Mental Health Center describes how to talk about suicide with someone you are worried about. The police also suggest the following to avoid becoming a victim of sexual extortion:
Never answer video calls from people you don’t know. If you accidentally connect to someone you don’t know via live stream, hang up immediately. Always answer video calls with the camera off until you know the caller’s identity.
Anyone who finds themselves targeted should immediately stop communicating with the suspected scammer and report it to the police. Child exploitation can be reported online at www.cybertip.ca. Police also say victims should not comply with threats and should keep records of any correspondence with the perpetrator.
