A publication ban naming a Port Coquitlam teen who was cyberbullied and died by suicide was lifted today (Monday).
BC Supreme Court Madam Justice Martha Devlin agreed to the constitutional challenge for Amanda Todd’s name to be printed.
Under Section 486.4(3) of the Criminal Code of Canada, minors or subjects involved in cases of child pornography cannot be identified.
Aydin Coban, 43, of The Netherlands, is indicted on five counts in connection to the case:
- extortion
- importing and distributing child pornography
- possession of child pornography
- communicating with the intent to lure a child
- criminal harassment
Coban was charged in 2014 and was extradited to Canada in December 2020 to face the criminal offences.
Todd was 15 when she died in October 2012 — a month after she shared a video on YouTube to explain the cyberbullying.
To date, her nine-minute video, which contains themes of self-harm, bullying and suicide, has been viewed 14.5 million times.
After her death received world-wide attention, Todd’s mother, Carol, School District 43's coordinator of digital literacy and supportive technologies, created the Amanda Todd Legacy Society in her daughter’s name to spread the message about online protection.
In a statement to the Tri-City News on Jan. 10, Carol Todd said she’s pleased with the court’s ruling and “that the advocacy work based on her story will be able to continue in her legacy and in her memory.”
Carol Todd added, “It has always been the reaching goal of Amanda’s Legacy to be able to share her story (as she herself did with her YouTube video) in addition to providing prevention and awareness related to cyberbullying, digital safety and exploitation so that other children and families would be able to be informed and have strategies on how to reach out for support.”
“With this ruling today, we can continue to work together to create a safer online world for our children,” Carol Todd said.
