Dutch seek 11 years for alleged cyber bully

38-year-old man also charged in Canada

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS • Dutch prosecutors on Thursday sought the maximum possible sentence — nearly 11 years — for a man charged with cyber bullying dozens of young girls and gay men and who is also accused in Canada of sexually extorting Amanda Todd, a 15- year- old girl who later killed herself.

In an emotional closing statement, prosecutor Annet Kramer urged judges at a court in Amsterdam to sentence the 38- year- old suspect, identified only as Aydin C., to 10 years and eight months in prison, saying he subjected some of his victims to years of emotional abuse.

C. faces a separate trial in British Columbia for the cyber bullying of Todd, a Port Coquitlam girl who drew global attention to online abuse when she posted a YouTube video recounting her ordeal. She later took her own life.

In 2014, the RCMP announced it was charging C. with extortion, importing or distributing child pornography, possessing child pornography and child luring in connection to Todd’s case.

A Dutch court has approved the suspect’s extradition following his trial in Amsterdam. He has appealed that decision and denies involvement in any cyber bullying.

Todd brought cyber bullying to mainstream attention in Canada and around the world in 2012 by posting a video in which she told her story with handwritten signs, describing how she was lured by a stranger to expose her breasts on a webcam.

The picture ended up on a Facebook page made by the stranger, to which her f riends were added. She was repeatedly bullied, despite changing schools, before finally taking her own life weeks after posting the video.

In his Dutch trial, the man faces more than 70 charges linked to the alleged abuse of 34 young girls and five gay men.

Prosecutors allege that the suspect used aliases on online chat sites to portray himself as a woman or boy to befriend his victims.

He would persuade them to strip in front of their webcams and then use the images to blackmail them, according to prosecutors, threatening to post the images online if they did not perform more sex acts in front of their webcams.

A DUTCH COURT HAS APPROVED THE SUSPECT’S EXTRADITION FOLLOWING HIS TRIAL.