Jury begins deliberations in Amanda Todd online extortion case

Editor’s note: This article contains details that may be upsetting to some readers

A B.C. jury has begun deliberations in the trial of a Dutch man accused of extorting and harassing Amanda Todd of Port Coquitlam.

The 15-year-old girl took her own life in October, 2012, following a three-year online sextortion campaign.

During the two-month trial at the New Westminster courthouse, the Crown presented binders full of 80 exhibits and more than 30 witnesses, including some who testified via Zoom from the Netherlands.

Coban, 44, is accused of threatening to show explicit photos of the Port Coquitlam teen to her friends and family unless she performed sexual acts in front of a web camera.

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Coban faces five charges, including extortion, criminal harassment, and possession of child pornography.

The defense argued the evidence didn’t prove Coban was behind the sextortion campaign without a reasonable doubt.

Outside the courthouse, Amanda’s mother, Carol, told reporters the “reasonable doubt” phrase made her nervous, but she’s hopeful she will hear “guilty” five times when the jury is finished deliberating the case.

The judge has cautioned that Amanda Todd’s death and circumstances are not part of this trial.

Coban was charged in 2014 and extradited to Canada in 2020.