Days after Amanda Todd’s suicide, Toronto teen arrested for allegedly extorting his girlfriend with lewd photos
Graeme McNaughton | Oct 18, 2012 4:41 PM ET | Last Updated: Oct 18, 2012 4:46 PM ET
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Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press
A memorial honouring teen Amanda
Todd in Maple Ridge, B.C., Monday. Days after the bullied teen's suicide
garnered international attention, a case with echoes of the bullying
Todd faced has emerged in Toronto
A teenage boy has been accused of distributing lewd photos of his
online girlfriend, and allegedly trying to extort more from her, days
after a similar case led to the suicide of a teenager in British
Columbia.
Police allege a teenage Toronto boy met a girl online and started a relationship. During this time, she provided photos of herself to him. However, police say the boy then tried to coerce the girl into sending him a video. When she refused, the boy gained access to the girl’s email account and mailed out the pictures she had previously sent to people she knew.
While police are not disclosing how the boy gained access to the account, Det. Const. Dayna Boyko said it is often done via answering security questions that may be too easy or having been given the password previously.
The girl does not live in Toronto, and the case was brought to Toronto police by an outside police agency, according to Det. Const. Boyko. Police are not disclosing where the girl is from so as to protect her identity, but did say the investigation has been going on for several months. The two maintained an online-only relationship, and likely never met in person.
The boy, who is under the age of 18, has been charged with the production, possession and distribution of child pornography, extortion and threatening death.
With the growing use of technology, more of these cases are coming forward.
“For each of our sexting cases, we take a look on a case-by-case basis. We take a look on both sides, and it’s sometimes more of an education [to the teens] on the legal implications,” said Det. Const. Boyko. “In this particular case, we saw it was serious enough that we had to charge.”
The arrest comes a little over a week since the death of Amanda Todd,
a Port Coquitlam teenager who committed suicide over the bullying and
tormenting she received after exposing her breasts to a male via webcam.
The male tried to exploit more from Ms. Todd, saying he wanted her to
“put on a show,” according to a YouTube video Ms. Todd released in
September.
When she refused, the male distributed lewd photos of the teen online and to friends and family. The distributed pictures led to Ms. Todd being bullied at school and online.
The Todd case has drawn widespread media attention, with calls for more police and government involvement in combating bullying.
Parents need to be more active in watching what their kids do online, said Det. Const. Boyko, adding that parents often don’t know the seriousness of the things their children may be doing online.
“Especially after the tragedy in British Columbia, we hope parents take the time to talk to their children.”
National Post
gmcnaughton@nationalpost.com
Police allege a teenage Toronto boy met a girl online and started a relationship. During this time, she provided photos of herself to him. However, police say the boy then tried to coerce the girl into sending him a video. When she refused, the boy gained access to the girl’s email account and mailed out the pictures she had previously sent to people she knew.
While police are not disclosing how the boy gained access to the account, Det. Const. Dayna Boyko said it is often done via answering security questions that may be too easy or having been given the password previously.
The girl does not live in Toronto, and the case was brought to Toronto police by an outside police agency, according to Det. Const. Boyko. Police are not disclosing where the girl is from so as to protect her identity, but did say the investigation has been going on for several months. The two maintained an online-only relationship, and likely never met in person.
The boy, who is under the age of 18, has been charged with the production, possession and distribution of child pornography, extortion and threatening death.
In this particular case, we saw it was serious enough that we had to chargeHis identity cannot be released under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
With the growing use of technology, more of these cases are coming forward.
“For each of our sexting cases, we take a look on a case-by-case basis. We take a look on both sides, and it’s sometimes more of an education [to the teens] on the legal implications,” said Det. Const. Boyko. “In this particular case, we saw it was serious enough that we had to charge.”
YouTubeA still from Amanda YouTube video, recorded a few weeks before her suicide.
When she refused, the male distributed lewd photos of the teen online and to friends and family. The distributed pictures led to Ms. Todd being bullied at school and online.
The Todd case has drawn widespread media attention, with calls for more police and government involvement in combating bullying.
Especially after the tragedy in British Columbia, we hope parents take the time to talk to their childrenThe Toronto District School Board is calling on all students and staff to hold a moment of silence Friday morning “in remembrance of bullying victims who are no longer with us and to support those who are being bullied right now,” according to a post on the school board’s website.
Parents need to be more active in watching what their kids do online, said Det. Const. Boyko, adding that parents often don’t know the seriousness of the things their children may be doing online.
“Especially after the tragedy in British Columbia, we hope parents take the time to talk to their children.”
National Post
gmcnaughton@nationalpost.com
Labels: Canada, Communication, Culture, Human Relations, Internet, Persecution
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