Warning: This article contains content that may be confusing to some readers.
Judge during trial against man accused of blackmailing teenage girl in Port Coquitlam Amanda Todd twice warned the jury on Friday morning that the images and video evidence they will watch will be “intimate” and screens facing the public gallery have been turned off .
Dutch citizen Aydin Koban is accused of extortion, enticing children, harassment and possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty.
Digital forensic scientist Det. Const. Robin Schuck testified about three images with the words “Amanda Chat” in the name and told the court they were screenshots from chat websites. In one of the images, he told the court that a partial watermark could be seen for Blog TV.
Two videos were also played, both of which Shuk testified were on-screen videos recorded by a website called Motherless. Schuck testified that both videos were also uploaded to the same site by someone with the username “emanon”: one on December 26, 2010 and the other on April 27, 2011. Since the second video was released in court, at one point it sounded like a woman’s voice, even though the words were difficult to recognize.
Schook testified after the first video “this was the young lady’s video”.
Schook told the court during the screening that the first video had more than 5,000 views on the website, the second more than 700. He testified that the second video also has a watermark on Blog TV.
Schuck said the court’s software for making such screen recordings was “freely” available online.
Outside of court, Todd Carroll’s mother said she had been mentally preparing for what might come out of the trial over the past 10 years.
“I admit that it is not 100 percent easy to see and hear all these things,” she said. “But part of me is that it has to be said and shared.”
Todd said a video her 15-year-old daughter shared online the month before her death from suicide in 2012 showed the teenager wanted her story told. In the video, Todd was holding handwritten cards describing years of torture.
“I was wondering what she would do if Amanda were alive, if she were here, what she would do,” Todd’s mother said. “I can only assume she would like that to be said.”
Todd’s mother said her daughter’s story could help other people who may not even realize that something like this could happen to them.
“All these things teach us what to be careful about, what to be aware of,” she said. “Yes, it’s difficult. But it’s necessary.”
Schook also testified about a Facebook account named Austin Collins. On her second day of the ordeal, Todd’s mother testified that she heard her daughter “shout” after seeing a Facebook account of the same name, using her topless photo as her profile picture in November 2011. She told the court that the account was also linked to friends and acquaintances of the teenager online.
Schuck told the court that his Facebook account indicated that his owner would attend Westview High School in Maple Ridge, which Todd attended.
Crown read a message posted on his Facebook account wall, which Schook testified was made by Collins. It said, in part, “They sent me a video and photos of Amanda Todd flashing her b ** b… and she has even more X-rated videos.” Schook testified that there was then a link that went to an image file called Amanda Todd.
Shook also testified that someone posted on Collins’ page and received a response from Collins:
Poster: WTF is wrong with you
Collins: I do what Jesus would do (emoji of the heart)
Prosecutor Louise Kenworthy said in an introductory statement Monday that Todd was the victim of a persistent online blackmail campaign. They claim that someone using 22 different fake accounts tried to use explicit images of Todd as a lever to get her to have sex online, and when she didn’t, she would send links to images of people who knows. Kenworthy said this has been going on since Todd was 12 to 15 years old.
Koban was first indicted in 2014 and later extradited to Canada. The defense has not yet presented its thesis. The trial is scheduled for seven weeks.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources available.
Canada Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-833-456-4566) Addiction and Mental Health Center (1 800 463-2338) Crisis Services Canada (1-833-456-4566 or SMS 45645) Helpline for Children 1-800-668) -6868) If you need immediate help, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.
Add Comment