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Defence in Todd case now seeks 2-year sentence

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 13 Oct, 2022 12:29 PM

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - A defence lawyer for a man convicted of luring and sexually exploiting British Columbia teen Amanda Todd says a six-year sentence he originally asked for should be reduced to two years.

Joseph Saulnier told a sentencing hearing in B.C. Supreme Court that his client is already serving an 11-year sentence for similar offences against 33 young victims in the Netherlands and more prison time would be "unduly harsh."

Saulnier is now seeking a two-year term to be served after Aydin Coban's Dutch sentence is completed in August 2024, and says the Canadian sentence would be for the same course of wrongful conduct.

Justice Martha Devlin questioned Saulnier's reasoning several times, saying she is not bound by the Dutch regime and suggesting that the offences against Todd are a separate matter.

Coban was extradited to Canada to face a trial in the Todd case and is serving his Dutch sentence at the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, Todd's hometown.

Crown attorney Louise Kenworthy has asked for a 12-year sentence to be served after the completion of Coban's Dutch term, saying he tormented Todd online for over two years and that his conduct was a dominant factor in her suicide at age 15.

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