Close X
Thursday, December 12, 2024
ADVT 
National

Amanda Todd's mom urges more jail time for tormentor, as Dutch court mulls sentence

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 07 Dec, 2023 10:50 AM
  • Amanda Todd's mom urges more jail time for tormentor, as Dutch court mulls sentence

The mother of B.C. teenager Amanda Todd, who was bullied into suicide by a Dutch national, says she'll be "so angry" if a court in Amsterdam doesn't give him significant extra jail time on the basis of his Canadian conviction last year.

Judges at the Amsterdam District Court said earlier today they would rule in two weeks on the conversion of the 13-year sentence for Aydin Coban, who was convicted of the extortion and harassment of Amanda.

Mother Carol Todd, who's in Washington, D.C., to speak to a group campaigning against child exploitation, says the Dutch process is part of a "never-ending story," a remark echoing a message held up by Amanda in a YouTube video describing her ordeal before she died in 2012.

She says the timing of the latest hearing, a week after Amanda's birthday, has been difficult, but she will continue to raise awareness of online predators driven by "a mother's love and a mother's passion" to keep other children safe.

Coban was already serving an 11-year Dutch sentence for cyberbullying more than 30 other victims when he was sent to Canada to stand trial in the Todd case, on the condition he serve any sentence in the Netherlands.

Coban's lawyers say he should get no extra time in a Dutch prison for the Todd case, while prosecutors say Coban should serve about 4 1/2 years of his Canadian sentence in the Netherlands.

The Canadian sentence must be converted in order to conform with Dutch rules.

Coban blackmailed 15-year-old Amanda to expose herself in front of a webcam. She took her own life after recounting her ordeal in the YouTube video that has been watched by millions around the world.

Earlier this year, the Amsterdam court said it needed more information from Canadian authorities before converting the sentence. That information was added to the case dossier but not explained in Thursday's hearing.

Coban was not in court for the brief hearing where his lawyer, Robert Malewicz, told a three-judge panel his client should get no extra time, but if they disagree, they should impose a maximum sentence of one year, with half the sentence suspended.

The Amsterdam court said it would deliver its sentencing judgment on Dec. 21. It can be appealed in the Dutch Supreme Court.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Locked out Rogers Communications workers in B.C. ratify five-year contract

Locked out Rogers Communications workers in B.C. ratify five-year contract
Nearly 300 Rogers Communications workers have voted strongly in favour of a new contract, ending a company lockout that began two weeks ago. The United Steelworkers union Local 1944, Unit 60, says in a statement that its members voted 96 per cent in favour of ratifying the tentative agreement reached last Friday.

Locked out Rogers Communications workers in B.C. ratify five-year contract

'Bank of mom and dad' study: B.C. high earners get housing boost if parents also own

'Bank of mom and dad' study: B.C. high earners get housing boost if parents also own
A Statistics Canada study into what it calls the "bank of mom and dad" shows home ownership among young high earners in British Columbia increases more than anywhere else in Canada if their parents are homeowners, too. The study also finds that nationally, people born in the 1990s are twice as likely to own a home if their parents are homeowners, compared to those whose parents are not.

'Bank of mom and dad' study: B.C. high earners get housing boost if parents also own

Port Moody Police arrest knife brandishing teen

Port Moody Police arrest knife brandishing teen
Police in Port Moody are investigating after arresting a 15-year-old who allegedly brandished a knife while chasing another teen through a crowd of students at a busy bus stop. Police say it happened yesterday afternoon (in the 13-hundred block of David Avenue) when a fight between two young people escalated into the armed chase.

Port Moody Police arrest knife brandishing teen

Eby says governments must step up on housing, can't rely on private sector

Eby says governments must step up on housing, can't rely on private sector
British Columbia Premier David Eby says it's "hard to understand" why other politicians still believe in relying on the private sector to deliver affordable housing and instead it's time for governments to step up. Eby says there are proposals at the federal level to sell public land and buildings to help solve the crisis, but B.C. is doing the opposite by taking inventory of provincially and municipally owned land in order to build more homes.

Eby says governments must step up on housing, can't rely on private sector

Victoria Police warn pedestrians of cougar roaming near downtown

Victoria Police warn pedestrians of cougar roaming near downtown
Police are warning pedestrians about an adult cougar roaming near downtown Victoria, telling them to avoid the area this morning. Victoria Police say on social media the cougar was spotted near Jutland Road and Dunedin Street, near the Victoria waterfront and north of the downtown core.

Victoria Police warn pedestrians of cougar roaming near downtown

Charges stayed against teen brothers in shooting that left one dead, two injured

Charges stayed against teen brothers in shooting that left one dead, two injured
The Crown has stayed charges against two teenage brothers in a Calgary shooting that left one man dead and two others injured last week. A 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, had been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Charges stayed against teen brothers in shooting that left one dead, two injured