Amanda Todd's mom 'numb' to news that Aydin Coban may be extradited
Carol Todd has been waiting a long time for justice in her daughter Amanda Todd's case.
News that Aydin Coban, the man accused of blackmailing the B.C. teen after she exposed her breasts online, may now be extradited to Canada to face criminal charges here left her "numb."
"It's totally brought me back to the afternoon that I found my daughter, so it's kind of harsh," said Todd, who has spent more than four years since her daughter committed suicide advocating for better services for youth mental health and better online safety.
A Dutch court ruled that Coban can be extradited to Canada at a hearing in Amsterdam today. But first, Coban must stand trial in the Netherlands for 72 charges unrelated to the Todd case, including blackmail and the production and distribution of child pornography.
That trial is slated to begin in 2017. After it ends, Coban could be sent to Canada to stand trial in the Todd case. Any sentence arising would be added to terms in the Netherlands, Coban's lawyer said.
"Everyone has been waiting for this for years and years," said Todd's mother.
"He needs to hear not only how he's impacted my family, but how he's impacted families around the world,"
Coban's lawyer told CBC News he'd argued that the Amanda Todd case be dealt with in the Netherlands where the courts are already mired in a prosecution involving 39 other alleged victims from six other countries.
He lost his bid.
"My request ... was denied. I think because of the public opinion about this case and its impact in the Canadian society," said Robert Malewicz.
Extradition may take year, or longer
If Coban's case is heard in Canadian courts, he agreed any sentence would be added to resulting sentences in the larger overall prosecution in Amsterdam. That is not even slated to start until January or February 2017. A verdict could take until April, so any extradition is a year or more away, Coban's lawyer predicted.
"In my opinion [if he's found guilty in Amanda Todd's case], it will lead to a small extra sentence. That is why I asked the Canadian authorities and the prosecutor in the Netherlands to hand over the case of Amanda Todd to the Amsterdam court. All cases would be dealt with at the same time and the family of Amanda can exercise all their rights as victims," Coban's lawyer wrote to CBC News in an email from Amsterdam.
He warned the courts the process may take a long time, especially if Coban is extradited.
"My client is now of the opinion that he will not accept any plea agreement in Canada, but will do whatever is necessary to get a fair trial and fight the allegations, even though this might take a long time, in the Netherlands, as well as in Canada," Malewicz said in court.
The allegations
In October 2012, Todd, a 15-year-old from Port Coquitlam, committed suicide after posting a video on YouTube saying she had been blackmailed by an online predator after exposing her breasts on a webcam.
Coban was arrested in the Netherlands the same year, after an investigation into online harassment involving Dutch victims. He was eventually charged with extortion, internet luring, criminal harassment, and the possession and distribution of child pornography by the RCMP in the Todd case.
His trial in the Netherlands is due to start in 2017. He has denied harassing Todd or any other wrongdoing.
