Canada

Amanda Todd’s harassment of 22 accounts came from 1 person, Crown attorney says

A Crown attorney says similarities in messages from 22 online accounts that harassed and blackmailed British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd in the three years before her death prove they came from the same person.

Marcel Daigle told the British Columbia Supreme Court jury against Aydin Koban, the Dutchman accused of harassing and extorting the teenager who died in October 2012, that the similarities and coherence of the messages were “striking.”

Daigle says the various accounts used similar language and phrases and referred to previous threats and exchanges with Todd as they repeatedly demanded she perform sexual “shows” on a webcam or sexualized images of the teen would be sent to her family and classmates.

Coban pleaded not guilty to extortion, harassment and communication with a young person for the purpose of committing a sexual offense and possession of child pornography.

Daigle says the next part of the Crown’s closing arguments will focus on showing Coban was the “sexual extortionist” behind the accounts used to harass Todd.

The jury was previously shown a Facebook post by Todd in which the Port Coquitlam teenager said she was afraid the man harassing her would continue for the rest of her life and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Todd urged people on Facebook to block one of the abuser’s accounts, saying a “sick pedophile” was blackmailing her, another Crown attorney said Wednesday.