The man who tormented British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd before she died by suicide has been sentenced to an unprecedented 13 years in prison by a judge who branded him an “internet sextortionist.”
Justice Martha Devlin of the B.C. Supreme Court said Friday that 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 called for “sharp rebuke.”
He enjoyed his victim’s escalating distress, she said.
“Mr. Coban’s blameworthiness falls at the extreme end of the spectrum.”
Arguments presented at the sentencing hearing heard that the highest term in Canada so far for similar offences has been about eight years.
The story of 15-year-old Todd gained worldwide attention when she posted a video about her torment weeks before her death in 2012. She used flash cards to explain how she was harassed and extorted by an anonymous online predator.
The video has since been viewed many millions of times.
Todd’s name is known around the world for exposing the dark corners of the internet where predators lure vulnerable children, Devlin said.
The judge said Coban used an arsenal of fake social media accounts 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.
Coban, who was extradited to Canada to face trial, is already serving an 11-year sentence handed down in the Netherlands for similar crimes involving 33 youth.
Devlin said the 13-year term will be served after Coban’s Dutch sentence ends in August 2024.
Coban has refused rehabilitation and there’s a likelihood he will reoffend because there’s nothing to indicate he has any insight into his behaviour, the judge said.
She said she wasn’t sure rehabilitation is a viable option because Coban doesn’t appreciate the seriousness of his crime.
Coban’s offending was relentless, he knew Todd was only 12 years old when he started harassing her, and he preyed on her by hiding behind 22 aliases using sophisticated technology, the judge said.
Todd’s family should be considered the secondary victims in the crimes, having experienced profound harm and ongoing suffering, she said.
During the sentencing hearing this week, Coban’s lawyer Joseph Saulnier asked for a two-year sentence, saying additional time on top of the sentence Coban is already serving would be “crushing.”
Devlin said the extortion conviction should be considered “sextortion” when it’s against children, reflecting society’s deepening understanding of the offence.
Child pornography images depicting Todd repeatedly violated her, Devlin said.
“She could not escape the images or videos. It was a ‘never-ending story,’” she said, quoting from Todd’s own description of her ordeal in the 2012 video.
Carol Todd, Amanda’s mother, told the House of Commons status of women committee earlier this month that the country has learned a lot since her daughter’s death a decade ago, but police need to take online harassment more seriously.
She said victims should not be shamed into believing they are responsible.
Todd said the government also needs to re-examine its legislation against cyberbullying that received royal assent in 2014.
The bill made it a crime to share intimate images without consent, and to clarify that Criminal Code offences, such as harassment, can also be committed online.
