The Crown hopes to see a Dutch man behind bars for 12 years after he was convicted for extorting and harassing BC teen Amanda Todd, who, as a result, took her life in 2012..During a Tuesday sentence hearing at New Westminster Supreme Court in BC, prosecutor Louise Kenworth said Aydin Coban was "unrepentant" and "has shown no interest in rehabilitation.".Kenworth called for Coban to serve his prison term "consecutively" to the sentence handed to him from the Netherlands. .Before being extradited to Canada in 2020, Coban was sentenced by a Dutch court to a nearly 11-year prison term for online fraud and the blackmailing of 34 young girls and five gay men following a 2017 trial. .During Coban's Tuesday sentence hearing, Kenworth said Todd was tormented for years by Coban who used 22 aliases through several online accounts, requesting her to perform sexual acts on a web-cam with the threat of exposing explicit images of the teen, if she did not comply. Todd was only 12 years old when the harassment began. .Because Coban used stolen Wi-Fi and private networks to hide his IP address, Coquitlam RCMP said they were unable to trace messages back to him before Todd's death. .During the criminal trial, the jury heard a "treasure trove of information'' connecting Coban to Amanda's harassment, including information found on two hard drives seized from his home..His lawyers argued the Crown's evidence did not prove Coban was the one behind the several accounts used to harass and extort Todd. .Although Coban has not been charged with Todd's death, in August a jury found him guilty of extortion, harassment, child luring, possession of child pornography, and possession of child pornography for the purpose of distribution. .READ MORE: Jury returns with guilty verdicts in Amanda Todd sextortion case.“The offences he committed were morally repugnant. His conduct was calculated, callous, and had devastating consequences,” Kenworthy said at the Tuesday hearing..“It’s the Crown’s submission that Mr. Coban is at high risk to reoffend, and needs to be separated from society for a lengthy period of time to protect children.”.For more than two years, Coban sent Todd, her friends, and family more than 700 messages from four different platforms, court heard during the Tuesday hearing. .Todd shared a video on YouTube shortly before her suicide in October 2012, in which she held up handwritten cards outlining the blackmail and bullying she experienced. She was 15 years old when she took her life. .Crown and Coban's lawyers will continue submissions this week. Carol Todd, Amanda's mother, said she has prepared a victim impact statement she will read to the court.
The Crown hopes to see a Dutch man behind bars for 12 years after he was convicted for extorting and harassing BC teen Amanda Todd, who, as a result, took her life in 2012..During a Tuesday sentence hearing at New Westminster Supreme Court in BC, prosecutor Louise Kenworth said Aydin Coban was "unrepentant" and "has shown no interest in rehabilitation.".Kenworth called for Coban to serve his prison term "consecutively" to the sentence handed to him from the Netherlands. .Before being extradited to Canada in 2020, Coban was sentenced by a Dutch court to a nearly 11-year prison term for online fraud and the blackmailing of 34 young girls and five gay men following a 2017 trial. .During Coban's Tuesday sentence hearing, Kenworth said Todd was tormented for years by Coban who used 22 aliases through several online accounts, requesting her to perform sexual acts on a web-cam with the threat of exposing explicit images of the teen, if she did not comply. Todd was only 12 years old when the harassment began. .Because Coban used stolen Wi-Fi and private networks to hide his IP address, Coquitlam RCMP said they were unable to trace messages back to him before Todd's death. .During the criminal trial, the jury heard a "treasure trove of information'' connecting Coban to Amanda's harassment, including information found on two hard drives seized from his home..His lawyers argued the Crown's evidence did not prove Coban was the one behind the several accounts used to harass and extort Todd. .Although Coban has not been charged with Todd's death, in August a jury found him guilty of extortion, harassment, child luring, possession of child pornography, and possession of child pornography for the purpose of distribution. .READ MORE: Jury returns with guilty verdicts in Amanda Todd sextortion case.“The offences he committed were morally repugnant. His conduct was calculated, callous, and had devastating consequences,” Kenworthy said at the Tuesday hearing..“It’s the Crown’s submission that Mr. Coban is at high risk to reoffend, and needs to be separated from society for a lengthy period of time to protect children.”.For more than two years, Coban sent Todd, her friends, and family more than 700 messages from four different platforms, court heard during the Tuesday hearing. .Todd shared a video on YouTube shortly before her suicide in October 2012, in which she held up handwritten cards outlining the blackmail and bullying she experienced. She was 15 years old when she took her life. .Crown and Coban's lawyers will continue submissions this week. Carol Todd, Amanda's mother, said she has prepared a victim impact statement she will read to the court.
