The man accused of blackmailing Amanda Todd online before she killed herself in 2012 is in Canada to stand trial.
Aydin Coban, extradited from the Netherlands, made an appearance in court on Dec. 8, and is scheduled to appear in court again in New Westminster on Feb. 12 for a pre-trial conference
Amanda’s mother Carol Todd told Black Press she was informed Coban was in Canada, and noted it has been a long time since charges were laid against him by B.C. Crown in April 2014.
“It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been waiting and waiting,” said Todd of the extradition.
Todd has followed Coban’s legal battles. He was sentenced to almost 11 years in a Dutch jail in 2017 for cyberbullying dozens of young girls and gay men.
READ ALSO: Man accused of cyberbullying Amanda Todd gets 11 years in Dutch jail for unrelated case
Todd said COVID-19 added a layer of uncertainty to the extradition and trial in Canada. Suddenly hearing that Coban had landed in B.C. came as a shock.
“It was like a true crime story you watch on a podcast or Netflix. Having him here makes it grounded,” said Todd.
She said a lot of people will be watching the trial: “More than we could know.”
The BC Prosecution Service said he is facing five charges, including extortion, two charges of possession of child pornography, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and criminal harassment. He is in custody. None of the charges have been proven in court.
Amanda Todd highlighted the menace of online bullying as she posted a YouTube video in which she told her story on handwritten signs, describing how she was lured by a stranger to expose her breasts on a webcam.
The picture ended up on a Facebook page made by the stranger, and she was repeatedly bullied, despite changing schools. She took her own life weeks after posting the video. She was 15.
Todd, who lived in Port Coquitlam at the time of her death, used to attend school in Maple Ridge.
Carol Todd noted Pink Shirt Day is coming to B.C. on Feb. 24.
“Amanda’s story… the goal is to share it, and share it wisely, so others learn from it.”
More as details become available.
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