Wednesday, December 24, 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

Rare case of monkeypox in a man who recently traveled to Canada from US

Rare case of monkeypox in a man who recently traveled to Canada from US
U.S. health officials said they are in contact with officials in the U.K. and Canada as part of the investigation. The U.S. case poses no risk to the public, and the Massachusetts resident is hospitalized but in good condition, officials said.

Rare case of monkeypox in a man who recently traveled to Canada from US

Omicron tripled cases in Canadian adults: study

Omicron tripled cases in Canadian adults: study
More than 5,000 Canadian adults — members of the Angus Reid Forum, a public polling cohort — participated in the fourth phase of the Action to Beat Coronavirus (Ab-C) study. The findings of the study were published as a letter to the editor in The New England Journal of Medicine Wednesday.

Omicron tripled cases in Canadian adults: study

Liberals reject NDP call to hike GST rebate

Liberals reject NDP call to hike GST rebate
Singh wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fund the benefit increases by redirecting a $2.6-billion tax credit promised in the recent budget to help companies build carbon capture and storage systems. 

Liberals reject NDP call to hike GST rebate

WATCH: Soul Counsel- a new way to leave a legacy behind

WATCH: Soul Counsel- a new way to leave a legacy behind
Find out about some of the services of Soul Counsel such as state planning, dispute resolution, succession planning, and much more with Founder and Chief Vibes Officer, Sukhminder Virk.    

WATCH: Soul Counsel- a new way to leave a legacy behind

Women being followed by a white van near Tamanawis Secondary according to social media post

Women being followed by a white van near Tamanawis Secondary according to social media post
The Surrey RCMP Special Victims Unit (SVU) was advised of the social media post and has reached out to the individual who posted it in order to seek more information. To date, SVU have not received any reported incidents of women being followed by men in a white van. 

Women being followed by a white van near Tamanawis Secondary according to social media post

Burnaby RCMP is looking to identify two suspects that were involved in two break-ins and mail theft incidents in March.

Burnaby RCMP is looking to identify two suspects that were involved in two break-ins and mail theft incidents in March.
On March 21, 2022 at approximately 2:30 p.m., two suspects broke into two residential complexes in the 7200-block of Collier Street and proceeded to pry the main panel of the mailboxes open and steal all the mail.

Burnaby RCMP is looking to identify two suspects that were involved in two break-ins and mail theft incidents in March.