Prince George RCMP are asking parents to have open, honest conversations with their children about sextortion amid an investigation into a child’s suicide because of it. “We are calling for parents and caregivers to be honest with their youth about the dangers of online activity, especially if they are engaging in chats with people they don’t know in real life,” said Prince George RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Jennifer Cooper in a Monday press release. “While not every case of online sextortion will end in tragedy, the consequences of this kind of activity can follow a youth for their entire life, which needs to be something we talk about openly with our kids.” On October 12, RCMP attended a local residence to respond to 12-year-old Prince George resident Carson Cleland suffering from a gunshot wound. It added the investigation revealed Cleland took his own life because of sextortion. Reports of sextortion have risen every year in Prince George. Thus far in 2023, it has received 62 reports of it, surpassing the 56 received in 2022. If people are victims of sextortion, RCMP said it is important they stop all communications with the perpetrators and not give in to their demands. It said they should deactivate the accounts they are using to communicate with the perpetrators, reach out for help and report them. The investigation is ongoing as police officers continue their efforts to identify a suspect. Cleland’s family spoke out about what led to his suicide on Monday. “Nothing was worth doing this,” said Carson’s father Ryan. His mother Nicola Smith said parents should be “more active with your kids, even if you are active, which we were.”A jury ruled in 2022 Dutch man Aydin Coban was guilty of all charges after he was accused of tormenting Canadian teen Amanda Todd through online threats. READ MORE: Jury returns with guilty verdicts in Amanda Todd sextortion caseCoban was accused of extortion, harassment, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and possession and distribution of child pornography. The jury presiding over this trial in the British Columbia Supreme Court announced the verdict one day after deliberations began. Todd was 15 years old when she committed suicide in 2012 after posting a video that described being tormented by an online harasser.
