Dutch man won't face charges in Netherlands related to Amanda Todd extortion
Todd committed suicide in 2012 after posting a video saying she had been blackmailed online
A man in the Netherlands will not face charges there in connection with the case of Amanda Todd, the B.C. teen who killed herself after she was stalked online.
Wim de Bruin, a press officer at the Public Prosecution Service in the Netherlands, told CBC News that Aydin Coban was never officially charged specifically in the case of Todd's death. Coban was only under suspicion of distribution of child porn in Todd's case, de Bruin said.
Todd, a 15-year-old from Port Coquitlam, committed suicide in October 2012 after posting a video on YouTube, in which she said she'd been blackmailed by an online predator after exposing her breasts on a webcam.
- Stalking Amanda: The Man in the Shadows
- Aydin Coban writes open letter proclaiming innocence
- Amanda Todd stood up to stalker in Facebook conversation
- Police alerted to Todd extortion suspect before her suicide
- Dutch man suspected of tormenting Amanda Todd had 75 other victims, Facebook report says
Dutch police arrested Coban in January 2014 in relation to an investigation involving Dutch victims who were harassed online. He was charged with nine offences, including indecent assault and production and dissemination of child pornography.
Three months later, RCMP announced Coban was also facing five charges in B.C., including extortion, internet luring, criminal harassment and the possession and distribution of child pornography in the Todd case.
Coban's trial in the Netherlands is in the pre-motion hearings stage and it was decided he would not be charged in relation to any non-Dutch victims, de Bruin said.
Coban's lawyer, Christian van Dijk, told CBC News there are 39 alleged victims in total, and that Coban is due in court on Thursday.
De Bruin said Coban could still be extradited to Canada, but he said it is up to Canadian authorities to move on that issue.
Van Dijk said extradition is currently not possible while the case is ongoing in the Netherlands.