Friday, December 26, 2025
ADVT 
National

Crown begins closing in B.C. extortion trial

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 26 Jul, 2022 12:25 PM
  • Crown begins closing in B.C. extortion trial

Crown and defence counsel have finished calling evidence in the British Columbia Supreme Court trial for the Dutch man accused of harassing and extorting teenager Amanda Todd before she died a decade ago.

Aydin Coban pleaded not guilty at the jury trial in New Westminster to charges of extortion, harassment, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and possessing child pornography.

Crown attorney Kristen LeNoble began closing arguments by telling jurors she would spend the next few days helping them "unpack" the evidence, including testimony from more than 30witnesses and binders full of 80 exhibits.

By the time the Crown is finished, LeNoble says they will have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Coban was the person behind 22 separate online aliases used to harass and extort Todd with child pornography that depicted her.

LeNoble says Todd's harassment began just before her 13th birthday when she received a message that threatened to send a video of her to friends, family and local media.

Crown prosecutor Louise Kenworthy told the jury at the start of the trial last month that the teenager from Port Coquitlam, B.C., had been the victim of a persistent campaign of online "sextortion" over three years before her death in October 2012.

Carol Todd testified that her daughter was scared when she brought messages to her mother's attention, and Amanda's distress increased with each incident.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2022.

MORE National ARTICLES

Women sexually assaulted near Metrotown

Women sexually assaulted near Metrotown
The incident was reported to police and RCMP were actively investigating when RCMP received two additional reports of similar assaults on women in the Metrotown area. The second and third incidents happened around 9 a.m. on Friday, April 1.

Women sexually assaulted near Metrotown

Updated federal vaccine mandate coming Wednesday

Updated federal vaccine mandate coming Wednesday
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has already filed a grievance against the existing policy which requires all federal public service members to be fully vaccinated even if they work at home.

Updated federal vaccine mandate coming Wednesday

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urges more aggressive cuts to greenhouse-gas emissions to limit global warming to the 1.5 degrees in the 2015 Paris Accord.

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch
Higher-wage, highly skilled workers will also be able to secure three years of employment eligibility instead of two, which the government says would also give them an easier path to permanent residency.

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm
The weather office warned of dangerous storm surges on Monday as west winds gust to 100 kilometres per hour. The agency said the winds could send waves of up to 12 metres "crashing onshore" during the height of the storm.

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19
Horgan says his symptoms are mild and he is isolating and working from home. He recently underwent treatment of his throat cancer and was back in his office in January.

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19