Warning: This story contains graphic detail about child sexual abuse that may disturb some readers.
Amanda Todd’s mother Carol spoke on the recent sentencing of an American man who pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting three B.C. youths.
Carol Todd said her response to the news of the sentencing of Kevin Robert McCarty, of Happy Valley, Ore., was one of relief.
“When I first heard that there was an Oregon man convicted and sentenced to 20 years … it gave me a sense of relief that these crimes are finally being recognized and that when it was reported to the RCMP, it got taken seriously,” she told Global News.
“I’ve been waiting for a long time to see the offenders get what they deserve. Twenty years is good.”
On Feb. 15, McCarty pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor online and two counts of sexually exploiting children. He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison followed by supervised release in the U.S.
In May 2021, the Comox Valley RCMP began its investigation after being notified a local youth was being sexually exploited online. As the investigation progressed, a suspect was identified in the United States.
B.C. RCMP said the two other youths, who led to the conviction and sentencing, are from Surrey and Westshore.
Todd, whose daughter Amanda committed suicide after her sextortion nightmare, said vulnerable youths need to be protected.
“This is a message to the exploitation offenders out there … you can’t hide behind the screen and VPNs. The goal is to have these offenders found and convicted,” Todd said.
“I am so proud of those young people — to step up, report, and get the help they need. These are adult-sized problems and kids can’t deal with them on their own.”
Carol’s daughter Amanda Todd died by suicide at age 15 in October 2012, a few weeks after posting a video using flash cards to describe being tormented by an online predator.
Ten years after Amanda’s death, Dutch man Aydin Coban was sentenced in Canada to 13 years behind bars for harassment, extortion, child luring, and possession and distribution of child pornography in connection with the “sextortion” of the Port Coquitlam teen.
Justice Martha Devlin took the unusual step of handing down a longer sentence than Crown counsel had argued for Coban, who was already serving a nearly 11-year term in the Netherlands for similar crimes.
Carol said in this day and age of social media and the access to internet, it’s extremely important for both parents/guardians and children to know the signs of sextortion and what to do if they are being targeted.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has resources including a short video geared towards teens called DontGetSextorted.ca
Earlier this year, Centre officials called the growing number of sextortion offences in Canada an “epidemic.”
“To be completely frank, the situation is completely out of control. We can barely keep up with the sextortion reports that are coming in to us,” said Signy Arnason, associate executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, in an April interview with Global News.
Statistics Canada data reports a nearly 80 per cent increase in cyber-related extortion offences in 2020 from the year before. Arnason said that number has continued to rise.
Police urge anyone in danger, or anyone who knows someone in danger to immediately call 911. Child sexual exploitation can be reported online through the CyberTipline or by call 1-800-846-5678.