Aydin Coban to be sentenced Friday in case involving B.C.’s Amanda Todd

A man convicted in the cyberbullying and extortion of a British Columbia teenager who died by suicide a decade ago is expected to learn his sentence today.

The story of 15-year-old Amanda Todd gained worldwide attention when she posted a video weeks before her death using flash cards to explain how she was harassed and extorted by an anonymous online predator.

Aydin Coban, who’s now 44 years old, was extradited from the Netherlands to face the charges and was convicted in August of extortion, child luring and sexual and pornography offences.

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He has already been handed an 11-year prison term in his home country for similar offences involving children, and his lawyer says B.C. Supreme Court Justice Martha Devlin should sentence him to an additional two years in Canada because any more time would be unduly harsh.

Crown attorney Louise Kenworthy has asked the court to impose a 12-year sentence to be served after the completion of Coban’s Dutch term, saying his torment of Todd was a dominant factor in her suicide.

Amanda Todd’s mother wants laws to change

Carol Todd, Amanda’s mother, says the request is laughable for the man who tormented and sexually extorted her daughter for years.

In addition to a long sentence, Carol is also pushing for laws to change.

“We talk about extortion and underneath the Criminal Code they talk about firearms prohibitions and all that. Where is the word technology? Where is the word technological device in that Criminal Code for extortion? Because in 2022, people are using technology to extort people,” she said.

The mother has become an anti-bullying advocate in the years since her daughter’s death.

Earlier this month, Carol told MPs, as a House of Commons committee studies the issue of mental health of women and girls, that education and awareness to recognize and respond to online harassment is critical for parents, teachers and students.

She stressed that that also needs to include police officers, who can help prevent further harm by taking complaints seriously and not shaming victims.

Carol admits that both the trial and the sentencing hearing have been incredibly difficult to endure.

“The defence stated that remorse is only a word and Mr. Coban, even though Crown has shown that he has shown lack of remorse and remorse is not important, then why am I as an educator teaching children compassion and empathy in the school system?” she told reporters earlier this week.

-With files from OMNI News