Aydin Coban found guilty of extorting B.C. teen Amanda Todd

Editor’s note: This article contains details that may be upsetting to some readers

In a case that garnered international attention, a B.C. jury has found 44-year-old Aydin Coban guilty of extorting and harassing B.C. teen, Amanda Todd.

Coban, a Dutch national, was found guilty on all five counts.

Amanda was 15 years old when she took her own life 2012 after posting a YouTube video that described being tormented by an online harasser.

Coban threatened to show explicit photos of the Port Coquitlam teen to her friends and family unless she performed sexual acts in front of a web camera.

The mother of Amanda tells CityNews that today justice was served.

“This day has been the best day since Amanda was born, ” said Carol Todd. “This day, Amanda’s voice shone through.”

“Today were words that really were joyous to my heart. And we’re doing all this for Amanda.”

During the two-month trial at the New Westminster courthouse, Crown presented binders full of 80 exhibits and more than 30 witnesses, including some who testified via Zoom from the Netherlands.

Coban pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was charged in 2014 and extradited to Canada from in 2020.

Related links:

• All roads lead to accused, Crown tells jury for man charged with extorting Amanda Todd

• Jury deliberations to begin in Amanda Todd case

• Deleted bookmark led to child pornography site that depicted Amanda Todd: Crown

Carol Todd hopes her daughter’s case brings increased awareness of the devastating impacts of “sextortion.”

She says her daughter was “disabled” by depression and anxiety caused by what a Crown prosecutor called a persistent online campaign of harassment, before her suicide.

Since the death of her daughter, Carol has become an anti-bullying advocate, making it her goal to get others engaged on the conversation of bullying.

“I know of a family who lost their son to sextortion … the son died by suicide in February. We need to ensure that we have all the educational resources out there so that people are aware of what it is, how to deal with it, where to report it, and just have it an open conversation.”

The Amanda Todd Legacy Society is a non-profit created by Carol to create availability of resources for mental health and internet safety.

With files from Monika Gul and The Canadian Press