Close X
Friday, September 20, 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

Ontario to ban Canadian work experience requirement in job postings

Ontario to ban Canadian work experience requirement in job postings
Ontario plans to ban employers from requiring Canadian work experience in job postings or application forms, the labour minister announced Thursday, saying it will be an important step to help newcomers get their foot in the door. Ontario would be the first province to dismantle that barrier in the hiring process, Labour Minister David Piccini said.

Ontario to ban Canadian work experience requirement in job postings

11 people sent to hospital in school bus crash in Burnaby

11 people sent to hospital in school bus crash in Burnaby
Eleven people have been sent to hospital after a school bus crashed into a home in Burnaby, B.C. BC Emergency Health Services says in a statement that all 11 patients are in stable condition. Police have asked drivers to avoid a busy stretch of Canada Way.  

11 people sent to hospital in school bus crash in Burnaby

Trudeau says pauses in Gaza fighting a template for peace, as Canadians wait to flee

Trudeau says pauses in Gaza fighting a template for peace, as Canadians wait to flee
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says newly agreed-upon "humanitarian pauses" to temporarily end fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip must last long enough for people to leave the area and for aid to arrive. The White House says that Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza, beginning today.

Trudeau says pauses in Gaza fighting a template for peace, as Canadians wait to flee

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to table Liberals' fall economic statement Nov. 21

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to table Liberals' fall economic statement Nov. 21
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is expected to table the federal government's fall economic statement on Nov. 21. The mini-budget is set to offer an update on federal finances, as well as new measures that reflect the government's priorities. 

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to table Liberals' fall economic statement Nov. 21

Two Montreal Jewish schools hit by gunshots, police say, nobody injured

Two Montreal Jewish schools hit by gunshots, police say, nobody injured
Montreal police say two Jewish schools were hit overnight by gunshots, in what seems to be the latest violent event in the city tied to the war between Israel and Hamas. Staff members discovered bullet holes on the exterior of the buildings when they arrived Thursday morning. Police said nobody was inside at the time of the shootings.

Two Montreal Jewish schools hit by gunshots, police say, nobody injured

SUV causes 2 crashes, 2 in hospital

SUV causes 2 crashes, 2 in hospital
Police say two women have been taken to hospital after an S-U-V fled from police in downtown Vancouver, causing two separate crashes. Vancouver police say the driver of a grey Dodge Durango failed to stop for officers at about 7:30 a-m yesterday on Burrard Street after allegedly hitting a pedestrian near Howe and Hasting streets.

SUV causes 2 crashes, 2 in hospital