The "sextortionist" tormenting Port Coquitlam student Amanda Todd was knowingly in possession of child pornography, a Crown prosecutor alleged this morning (Thursday) in closing arguments.
And prosecutor Marcel Daigle told Justice Martha Devlin and the 12-person jury at BC Supreme Court that the person not only was aware they had explicit material involving a minor, but they also sent the content of a naked Todd to hundreds of people — including her relatives — through various online aliases.
In winding up the trial in New Westminster, after seven weeks of evidence and testimony from dozens of witnesses, Daigle told the jury that it doesn’t matter who created the materials because “we just don’t know."
However, he argued, what he said it clear is that the sextortionist had data files of Todd on their digital devices.
Daigle said the video of Todd showing her bare chest on BlogTV from 2009, when she was 11 years old, came up twice via motherless.com, a porn site in which the links were sent to Todd’s family, friends and school.
As well, aliases named iambackmissme, door1ordoor2, Miranda Todd and Austin Collins had used the same profile picture of Todd about to undress.
“To upload a photo of a profile picture, you must have that file on your digital device,” Daigle alleged.
As well, Daigle claimed that the language the aliases used was similar — or, in some cases, matched — and their words proved admission of child porn possession.
For example, door1ordoor2 wrote on YouTube to Todd in April 2011: “I have a new flash video of you.”
The sextortionist also referenced a new flash drive via the alias Tyler Boo, on Facebook in October 2011. “The stuff I have now is a bit more than just a boob flash,” the user wrote to Todd.
And Tylersike123 wrote in December 2011: “I’m playing your flash videos on omegle now non stop.”
“The sextortionist had all the materials and was uploading to these websites for his scheme,” Daigle submitted.
“We know that the sextortionist was persistent, was targeting the same family members… coming back again and again, creating fake accounts and making demands for shows.”
Daigle added, “They [the sextortionist] had control of these materials and could make use of them when they wanted.”
DUTCH DEVICES
As for the four electronic devices that National Dutch Police seized from a home in the Netherlands in 2014, Daigle pointed to evidence that there was deletion software on three pieces.
As well, a video file named “amandatodd.wmv” and a folder with Todd’s name was on the other device.
A TrueCrypt hard drive, as well as 10,000 Euros and a passport, was also recovered from inside a stereo box during the police raid.
On the charge of possession of child porn, Daigle said there’s evidence in the online messages with Todd that the sextortionist knew she was a minor, as the aliases referenced her age, school, schoolmates and teachers.
The sextortionist also posed as a child protection worker in messages and emails to Todd’s school and parents, the court heard.
Daigle said the Crown’s case is that one person was behind 22 fake accounts in a relentless pursuit of Todd to perform sexual shows: Aydin Coban.
Coban of the Netherlands has pleaded not guilty to five counts:
- 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.
The trial continues.
