Dutch police arrest man in Amanda Todd harassment
QMI Agency
First posted: Thursday, April 17, 2014 03:12 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, April 17, 2014 07:57 PM EDT
B.C. RCMP announced Thursday it will update its Amanda Todd investigation after an unnamed man was arrested in the Netherlands for allegedly harassing the Canadian teen online.
Todd, 15, of Port Coquitlam, B.C., posted a video online two years ago about being bullied and blackmailed after topless photos of her appeared on the Internet.
Todd isn't specifically named in legal documents, but lawyer Christian van Dijk confirmed to local media that his client is suspected of extortion with a webcam of a 15-year-old girl from British Columbia.
The man is believed to have "dozens" of other victims in the Netherlands, England and America. He allegedly encouraged underage girls and adult men to perform sex acts for webcams, the court release said.
"The suspect probably also defrauded adult men living outside the Netherlands. These men performed sexual acts in front of the webcam on the assumption that they were in internet contact with an underage boy. The suspect is thought to have blackmailed the men by threatening to hand the images over to the police," the release said.
The suspect is being held in pretrial detention on charges related to possession and distribution of child pornography, fraud, indecent assault, computer intrusion and drug possession.
He first appeared in court on Wednesday.
The lawyer said the evidence against his client is not strong, and a computer and router seized were from a rental property where his client was staying and could have been accessed from elsewhere.
Van Dijk also said his client had been living alone for years and has no wife or children.
The B.C. RCMP are holding a press conference with Todd's family at 5 p.m. PT.
A still from Amanda Todd's YouTube video telling the story of years of bullying after having a nude photo sent to classmates. (WENN.COM)
Amanda Todd's Story: Struggling, Bullying, Suicide, Self Harm - YouTube
Dutch police arrest man in Amanda Todd harassment | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
QMI Agency
First posted: Thursday, April 17, 2014 03:12 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, April 17, 2014 07:57 PM EDT
B.C. RCMP announced Thursday it will update its Amanda Todd investigation after an unnamed man was arrested in the Netherlands for allegedly harassing the Canadian teen online.
Todd, 15, of Port Coquitlam, B.C., posted a video online two years ago about being bullied and blackmailed after topless photos of her appeared on the Internet.
She committed suicide in October 2012, a month after the photos surfaced.
According to an official Dutch court release, the accused 35-year-old man was arrested in Oisterwijk, Netherlands, in January.Todd isn't specifically named in legal documents, but lawyer Christian van Dijk confirmed to local media that his client is suspected of extortion with a webcam of a 15-year-old girl from British Columbia.
The man is believed to have "dozens" of other victims in the Netherlands, England and America. He allegedly encouraged underage girls and adult men to perform sex acts for webcams, the court release said.
"The suspect probably also defrauded adult men living outside the Netherlands. These men performed sexual acts in front of the webcam on the assumption that they were in internet contact with an underage boy. The suspect is thought to have blackmailed the men by threatening to hand the images over to the police," the release said.
The suspect is being held in pretrial detention on charges related to possession and distribution of child pornography, fraud, indecent assault, computer intrusion and drug possession.
He first appeared in court on Wednesday.
The lawyer said the evidence against his client is not strong, and a computer and router seized were from a rental property where his client was staying and could have been accessed from elsewhere.
Van Dijk also said his client had been living alone for years and has no wife or children.
The B.C. RCMP are holding a press conference with Todd's family at 5 p.m. PT.
A still from Amanda Todd's YouTube video telling the story of years of bullying after having a nude photo sent to classmates. (WENN.COM)
Amanda Todd's Story: Struggling, Bullying, Suicide, Self Harm - YouTube
Dutch police arrest man in Amanda Todd harassment | Canada | News | Toronto Sun