Aydin Coban’s sentencing hearing for extorting, harassing Amanda Todd set for September

Aydin Coban, the Dutch man who was convicted over the weekend of extorting and harassing B.C. teen Amanda Todd, is expected to learn next month how long he will serve for his crime.

His sentencing hearing starts Sept. 20.

Coban was found guilty on all five counts Saturday. He was charged in 2014 and extradited to Canada in 2020. Coban had pleaded not guilty.

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 man’s trial spanned two months at the New Westminster courthouse.

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Amanda’s death and Coban’s case have sparked renewed discussions around cyberbullying — which appears to still be a disturbing occurrence in Canada.

Amanda Todd is shown in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Facebook, HO

Amanda’s mother, Carol, has said she hopes her daughter’s case brings increased awareness of the devastating impacts of “sextortion.”

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

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

Meanwhile, a lawyer with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection says the organization is “very pleased” that Coban was unanimously convicted.

Monique St. Germain says the organization is calling for more government oversight and regulation of social media companies like Snapchat and Instagram, where the organization has found most of the harm to children occurs.

“We need governments to step in and to put some guardrails in place with the tech industry so that we have safer products in the marketplace,” she said.

With files from Kurtis Doering