Man accused of extortion of Amanda Todd sentenced to jail in Netherlands
A Dutch court found 38-year-old Aydin Coban guilty of abusing dozens of young girls online
The Dutch man accused of cyber-bullying Port Coquitlam, B.C., teen Amanda Todd has been sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison, in an unrelated but high-profile trial in the Netherlands.
Aydin Coban, 38, was given the sentence by a court in Amsterdam Thursday morning, on charges related to the abuse of 34 young girls and five men.
A court summary shows that Coban was also accused of blackmail, co-perpetration of rape, attempted rape and seduction charges as well as several other child pornography-related offences.
According to the Dutch prosecution office, Coban's victims lived in countries including the Netherlands, Australia, Norway, the U.K.and United States.
Coban is facing five separate charges in Canada in relation to Amanda Todd, including possession of child pornography and extortion. He's set to be extradited after the proceedings in the Netherlands conclude, although he's filed legal appeals to stay in his home country.
'The verdict will have influence'
In October 2012, Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old from Port Coquitlam, committed suicide after posting a video on YouTube saying she was blackmailed by an online predator after exposing her breasts on a webcam.
Her mother Carol Todd was anxious for the verdict. While her daughter's case isn't part of the European proceedings, Todd travelled to the Netherlands to be in the courtroom when the trial first started.
"I'm hoping that it will be guilty, but I'm trying to figure out if I don't hear those words how I'm going to be," said Todd from Winnipeg, where she is scheduled to speak at a mental health conference Thursday.
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"The verdict will have influence on the world and everyone who has been following these types of stories, the future acts we see, the future investigations, and trials that we hope will come out of it," said Todd.
With files from Brenna Rose