Dutch prosecutor recommends significant reduction in sentence for Amanda Todd extortionist
Sentence would be just over 4 years long if judge, who will make his ruling July 13, agrees
A 13-year sentence a Canadian court handed to a Dutch cyber bully in a notorious case involving Amanda Todd should be reduced to four-and-a-half years in the Netherlands, a prosecutor in Amsterdam said Thursday.
Aydin Coban was convicted last year of extortion, harassment and other crimes in a case involving the B.C. teen, who was blackmailed to expose herself in front of a webcam. The 15-year-old Todd took her life in 2012, after previously detailing her ordeal in a YouTube video watched by millions around the world.
Coban was already serving an 11-year sentence in the Netherlands for similar crimes targeting 33 other victims when he was extradited to Canada to face trial in the Todd case.
Todd's mother, Carol, told CBC News on Thursday that she was aware his sentence from B.C. Supreme Court in October could be reduced in the Netherlands.
"Ultimately I would have loved to see the full 13 but any time ... that he will continue to be incarcerated is a good thing," she said. "I think that there will be a lot of upset and disappointed people out there because as we know Amanda's story has gone global."
Coban's Canadian sentence is to be served in the Netherlands after he serves out his original prison term in August next year. It must first be converted into a sentence in accordance with Dutch law.
Coban was not in court for a hearing Thursday at Amsterdam District Court to convert the Canadian sentence.
Public prosecutor Kasper van der Schaft told judges that a Dutch court would normally hand a four-year sentence to Coban for the crimes he was convicted for in Canada. But he urged judges to impose an extra six months.
Van der Schaft acknowledged that Canadians who are familiar with the Amanda Todd case would be "shocked" that a 13-year sentence imposed in Canada would be reduced to around a third of that in the Netherlands.
Sentence 'exorbitantly high': Coban lawyer
Coban's Dutch lawyer, Robert Malewicz, called the Canadian sentence "exorbitantly high, even by Canadian standards."
He said that Coban should not get any extra prison time, but if he does, it should be no more than one year with six months suspended. That would mean Coban would only have to serve an extra six months if he commits another offence.
Malewicz criticized Canadian authorities for releasing Coban's personal details, saying he will forever be linked to the Amanda Todd case. Dutch authorities do not release full names or other identifying details about suspects in criminal cases.
"He will always be recognized," Malewicz said. "That feels for him like a life sentence."
Carol Todd said it was important for Coban's judicial process in Canada to name him and provide his image to draw public attention to the case.
"I have no remorse or sadness for this person," she said. "Sorry you did what you did, you pay the consequences for your actions and so be it."
The court said it would issue a decision on July 13. The sentencing ruling can be appealed in the Dutch Supreme Court.
The plight of Todd brought the problem of cyberbullying to mainstream attention in Canada.
In sentencing Coban last year, Canadian Justice Martha Devlin said that the "serious impact of the offences on Amanda was obvious to Mr. Coban and would have been obvious to anyone at the time."
She added that "ruining Amanda's life was Mr. Coban's expressly stated goal. Sadly, one that he achieved."
With files from the CBC's Early Edition