Port Coquitlam student Amanda Todd begged her online tormentors to leave her alone and rallied her Facebook friends to report them, Crown Counsel said this afternoon (Tuesday) as they started their closing arguments in the eight-week trial.
Prosecutor Kristen LeNoble outlined to Justice Martha Devlin and the 12-person jury at BC Supreme Court in New Westminster how she said Todd was "extorted, harassed and lured" by one person behind 22 fake accounts.
The Crown said it will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Aydin Coban, 44, of the Netherlands, was operating the accounts in a “persistent campaign of online sextortion” against Todd.
Coban has pleaded not guilty to
- extortion
- importing and distributing child pornography
- possession of child pornography
- communicating with the intent to lure a child
- criminal harassment
None of the allegations is proven in court.
Threatening messages
As part of the closing arguments, LeNoble pointed the jury to evidence that Todd reached out to her family and friends on Facebook when she received threatening messages to expose her.
After a user named Alice Mcallister sent 16 messages to her family and friends in December 2010 — which was also shared by someone named Kody Maxson to 99 Facebook users, including 28 people on Todd’s Facebook list — Todd voiced concern and wrote about the impact on her life.
Between April and May 2011, after she got a YouTube message from iambackmissme, which had an avatar of Todd and demanded five peep shows, as well as menacing language from a user named door1ordoor2, Todd wrote on her Facebook wall: “Can everybody report this guy, he is blackmailing me and its really appreciated if you guys do me a huge favour and report him. Thanks.”
She attached a YouTube link to door1ordoor2’s channel; however, the user wrote on the account that Todd was showing herself naked and provided a URL to the porn website motherless.com.
“The user was still encouraging people to click on the link,” LeNoble said, noting the YouTube message had been viewed more than 500 times.
LeNoble presented more evidence of door1ordoor2 taunting Todd online.
On April 27, 2011, door1ordoor2 told Todd via YouTube: “Final offer to one show of 30 minutes then I disappear.”
I don't want this to happen'
Four days later, Todd updated her Facebook status, apologizing to her family and friends who received a naked photo of her. “This guy did it again, and I don’t want this to happen.”
Todd pleaded for help on May 1 and, on May 3, posted on her Facebook wall: “Congrats you rueind my life but some day you gonna get something back.”
By May 4, a user named Miranda Todd surfaced and sent a message to 10 Facebook friends of Amanda Todd’s; four Todd family members also got an image link of her.
“Amanda is still showing herself naked on the internet up until a few weeks ago it started all over again,” the user wrote. “Why don’t you take her webcam and iPod away so she can’t!”
The next day, Todd posted a warning message for her Facebook friends, asking them to report Miranda Todd.
As with other messages, the structure and the language by Miranda Todd is similar, LeNoble argued, with one or more aliases demanding peep shows or content would be distributed.
Still, in other chats like from zackbrutalnot, which had an avatar of a young man with spiked hair and muscles, there appeared to be a “softening” to entice luring, LeNoble suggested.
In one instance between an account user named kelseyrain2 and Todd, in July 2011, there are attempts to get Todd on a web camera early in the morning to masturbate together.
Six more accounts
But between October and December 2011, LeNoble said, the sextortion continued with the following users: Tyler Boo, Monica Stewart, tylersike123, Marc Camerons, Katie Hutchins and Austin Collins, via Facebook, Skype and Gmail.
Austin Collins had an avatar with Todd showing her breasts.
Tyler Boo, whose profile photo was of a young man with spiked hair, started his message to Todd on Oct. 21, 2011: “sup camwhore, been a while. I didn’t send the video the last time because I liked how you whined.”
He pushed her for three shows for 15 minutes.
Responded Todd via Facebook: “Everyone who gets a friend request from Tyler Boo do not accept he is a 60 year old pedofile, blackmailer that has been blackmailing me for years and I just got another message again.”
The next day, Tyler Boo wrote to Todd, “LOL, u already forgot who I am? You will go through the exact same thing” and demanded three private shows, LeNoble said.
Tyler Boo then wrote he would follow Todd to the next school she transfers to, as well as future area schools such as Maple Ridge Secondary, Pinetree Secondary and Maple Creek Middle “for the extra swing effect.”
“I will be there again,” he wrote.
Todd retorted in a lengthy post on Facebook, and attached Tyler Boo’s threats to her.
The trial continues.
