In a judgment delivered Friday, Justice Martha Devlin of the Supreme Court of British Columbia sentenced Dutchman Aydin Coban to 13 years in prison. Among other things, he is convicted of harassing and extorting Amanda Todd, who committed suicide at the age of 15 in 2012.
“Amanda Todd wanted her voice to be heard. […] We heard the incredible torment she suffered and we heard her cautionary tale — her warning to other children and their families — about what lurks in the darkest corners of the internet,” the judge concluded. Devlin.
The sentence handed down on Friday exceeds by one year that which had been recommended by the Crown, while the defense had recommended two years on Thursday. Me Joseph Saulnier, the defense lawyer, said Aydin Coban was already serving an 11-year sentence in the Netherlands for similar offenses committed against 33 young victims.
The sentence he is serving in his country of origin is due to end in August 2024. Aydin Coban will therefore have to be returned to Canada, therefore, to serve his new sentence.
“This case has shown that Internet sexual offenses against children know no geographical boundaries: Internet predators hide in anonymity and are able to commit crimes anywhere in the world by clicking on a button,” said Martha Devlin.
Although Aydin Coban has not been charged in direct connection with the death of Amanda Todd, Martha Devlin considers the teenager’s suicide an aggravating factor: “I am convinced that the distress and the calculated and repeated disturbances introduced by Mr. Coban […] caused profound emotional and psychological harm that unquestionably contributed to his mental health issues, substance abuse and suicide. »
Remember that before taking her own life, Amanda Todd posted a video that has been viewed more than 14 million times to date and has gone around the world. She used cardboard to describe in words the assaults she suffered over three years.