Amanda Todd: Dutch court reduces prison sentence for cyberstalking leading to death

A Dutchman named Aydin Coban, who was initially given a 13-year sentence for sexually blackmailing a Canadian girl named Amanda Todd, has had his sentence significantly reduced. Coban was found guilty in a Canadian court in 2022 for child-luring and criminally harassing Amanda Todd, who tragically took her own life at the age of 15. He was sent back to the Netherlands to serve his term and the court in Amsterdam has now reduced his sentence. The court explained that it commuted the Canadian term to six years in order to meet Dutch judicial standards. Coban began targeting Amanda Todd on social media when she was 13, using fake accounts to coerce her into performing for him on a webcam. If she refused, he would threaten to send explicit images of her to her friends and family. His cyberstalking persisted until February 2012. Amanda's video, which she posted on YouTube the same year, gained millions of views and she tragically died five weeks later. Her story sparked a national debate in Canada about online bullying. Coban had previously been arrested in the Netherlands in 2014 and sentenced to 10 years and eight months in 2017 for blackmailing and harassing numerous young women and men online in the UK, US, and Canada. Although the cyberstalking of Amanda Todd was not part of the Dutch trial, Canadian prosecutors had brought a separate case under the condition that Coban would serve his term in the Netherlands. Coban was not charged over her death, but the judge concluded that the significant harm he caused had contributed to her mental health issues and depression. The judge revealed that Coban had sent Amanda Todd 700 online messages and had distributed explicit images of her to people within her community. After being sentenced to 13 years in British Columbia, Coban returned to the Netherlands where the court in Amsterdam reviewed and adjusted his sentence. Ultimately, he received a six-year term, which was longer than what the prosecutors had asked for and can still be appealed. If you or someone you know is struggling with similar issues, there are helpline numbers available such as the US National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. In the UK, the Samaritans Helpline can be reached at 116 123 or you can visit samaritans.org for support.