Disturbing evidence presented at the trial of a Dutch man accused of harassing and extorting B.C. teen Amanda Todd before she died by suicide prompted the judge to warn the jury before it was shown on Friday.
Justice Martha Devlin advised the 12-member jury to prepare themselves, before the courtroom fell silent as a series of graphic videos and images of the 15-year-old were played in court.
The video screen in the court room’s public gallery was turned off because of the pornographic nature of the content.
Todd’s mother, Carol, was present as the evidence was presented.
“Yes it’s hard, but it’s needed,” she said outside New Westminster Supreme Court.
“I’ll admit it’s not 100 per cent easy, right, to see and to hear all that stuff. But part of me is, it needs to be told and it needs to be shared.”
The court also heard further testimony from Vancouver police Det. Const. Robin Shook, a digital forensic specialist.
Crown questioned Shook about the graphic content, and how it was linked to a series of web browsers, platforms, websites and mystery user accounts — including a Facebook user account under the name Austin Collins.
The court has previously heard how that Facebook account, which claimed to be operated by a student at Todd’s high school, was used to share explicit images of the teen.
Todd died by suicide in 2012 following what Crown has called a persistent campaign of online sextortion.”
Aydin Coban, a citizen of the Netherlands, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges, including possession of child pornography, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and criminal harassment.
Crown alleges Coban used a network of 22 fake social media accounts to stalk and harass her between 2009 and 2012.
Prosecutors allege he obtained video of her flashing her breasts and putting her hand in her underwear, then used that material to try and blackmail her into performing pornographic webcam shows. In several cases, Crown alleges, he sent links to the explicit material to friends, family and her school community.
The case hinges on the question of identity, and Coban’s lawyer Joseph Saulnier has said there is no link between the extortionist and his client.
Earlier this week he said he knows the case is emotionally charged, but that there must be proof beyond a reasonable doubt about who sent the messages to Amanda.
The 35-day trial is slated to resume Monday.
— with files from Rumina Daya