Coban, who was extradited to Canada, was convicted in British Columbia Supreme Court of extortion, two counts of possession of child pornography, child enticement and criminal harassment against Amanda Todd, the teenager who killed herself in 2012. Todd sparked an international debate about cyberbullying when she posted a YouTube video detailing her online harassment. She killed herself at 15. Coban, 44, had pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges related to the Todd case. He was not charged in Todd’s death. British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Martha Devlin had told jurors they could only find Coban guilty of the charges against him if prosecutors proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Otherwise, they must acquit Coban, Devlin said. The verdict came after weeks of testimony involving multiple witnesses and evidence presented by prosecutors before closing arguments began. Coban was extradited from the Netherlands to Canada in 2020 after being convicted in Amsterdam on similar charges involving several young girls and gay men. In those cases, judges had found that Coban gained the trust of his victims and then persuaded them to send him incriminating sexual images. He then threatened to reveal these images. The Dutch Supreme Court found that he followed through on these threats by sending sexual images to his victims’ families and friends. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
