Parents, Dutch police investigator testify in trial of man accused of cyberbulling Amanda Todd
CBC
WARNING: This story contains disturbing details and may affect those who have been targeted for sextortion, or know someone affected by it.
The first week of the highly anticipated trial of the man accused of "sextorting" Amanda Todd has wrapped in B.C. Supreme Court.
Aydin Coban pleaded not guilty Monday to five criminal counts — including possession of child pornography, child luring and harassment — in relation to what the Crown claims was a scheme to extort sexual images from the teenager between 2009 and 2012.
The alleged abuse occurred when Amanda Todd was between the ages of 12 and 15 years old.
Her name has been closely linked with the impacts of cyberbullying ever since a video discovered after her death in October 2012 went viral. The then-15-year-old died by suicide.
Here's what was heard in the first week of the trial.
LISTEN | CBC reporter Jason Proctor shares what was heard in week one of the trial
On the first day of the trial, Crown prosecutors claimed Coban — who was extradited from the Netherlands in 2020 — had used an array of 22 fake social media accounts to threaten Amanda Todd.
They claimed he came into possession of images of the teenager exposing her breasts and sticking her hand in her underwear and then used that information to demand that she perform "sex shows" in exchange for his silence.
In her opening statement to the jury, Crown prosecutor Louise Kenworthy claimed that the online tormentor followed Amanda Todd through the recesses of the internet as she changed schools, threatening to share images with family and friends.
The Crown displayed threats sent through Facebook to the teenager as well as messages with links to graphic images of Amanda Todd sent to her family, friends and classmates.
The first two witnesses of the week were Amanda Todd's mother and father, Carol Todd and Norm Todd — who were divorced at the time their daughter was dealing with the sextortionist.
They spoke of her anguish and panic at receiving the threats and said that while RCMP had advised Amanda Todd to get off Facebook, that was easier said than done for a child who thrived on social media interaction.
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