National

13 years for Amanda Todd's tormentor

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Oct, 2022 03:07 PM

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - A British Columbia judge has sentenced a man she called an "internet sextortionist" to 13 years in prison for tormenting British Columbia teen Amanda Todd before she died by suicide.

Justice Martha Devlin of the B.C. Supreme Court says Aydin Coban's calculated conduct caused the girl mental anguish and social isolation, contributing to her suicide after he told Todd he would ruin her life.

The sentence is longer than the 12 years suggested by the Crown, but Devlin said Coban's conduct calls for "sharp rebuke."

The story of the 15-year-old girl gained worldwide attention when she posted a video weeks before her death in 2012 using flash cards to explain how she was harassed and extorted by an anonymous online predator.

Devlin says Coban used an arsenal of fake social media sites and went to great lengths to search out Todd's family members and friends to maximize the harm after she pleaded for him to stop.

More coming.

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