Amanda Todd case: Dutch officer testifies about covert operation at home where accused later arrested
The trial of a man accused of sexually extorting Port Coquitlam teen Amanda Todd heard testimony about a secret police operation at the Netherlands property where Aydin Coban was arrested weeks later.
The Dutch citizen has pleaded not guilty to extortion, harassment, possession of child pornography and child luring.
The court heard a small team of investigators spent hours conducting covert activities in December 2013, but the witness would not reveal details about what took place.
Insp. Carolina Van Swaay testified by video from the Netherlands. With an interpreter translating her testimony in the New Westminster courtroom, she said she and three others entered the property secretly on Dec. 22, in part to return a pair of hard drives.
The jury has heard testimony that two hard drives that were too large to copy or image on site at the bungalow were temporarily removed and taken to a forensic lab.
Van Swaay told the court her team’s initial search, which was opened and closed by a judge by phone, took 55 minutes, but in cross-examination said they spent about an additional three hours and 40 minutes inside the home. When asked if they had been installing covert software, she would not elaborate further.
“I can only say that we were occupied with a covert operation,” she said. “I cannot give any details on it.”
Another investigator, Chief Inspector Joerie van Schijndel, previously testified monitoring or “key logging” software was installed on a laptop and desktop computer.
Another police officer who appeared by video from the Netherlands testified about a request from the Coquitlam RCMP for forensic images from devices seized in the investigation, but during cross-examination, he could not specifically remember which ones.
The Crown alleges Todd was pursued for years by someone with 22 phony accounts, who tried to use explicit photos of the teen to get her to perform sex acts online. Todd died by suicide in 2012 at the age of 15.
Coban’s defence counsel has said the case is about whether the Crown can prove who was behind the messages to Todd.
Testimony is set to continue Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
First-ever human case of H5 avian influenza in Canada found in B.C.: officials
B.C. health officials say they have detected Canada's first-ever case of H5 avian influenza in a human.
Death confirmed at Ambassador Bridge after hours-long closure
More details have been released about a police investigation at the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ont. and Detroit, MI.
After Trump’s win, some women are considering the 4B movement
Women are sharing information on social media about a feminist movement in which straight women refuse to marry, have children, date or have sex with men.
Woman killed after truck crashes through Fort McMurray Boston Pizza
A woman is dead after a driver crashed a truck through a Boston Pizza in Fort McMurray late Saturday morning.
Flower delivery leads to arrest for St. Thomas, Ont. resident
St. Thomas police say they arrested a 72-year-old St. Thomas resident after their ex-partner reported receiving flowers and a note left on the porch.
Cornwall, Ont. prepares for potential influx of asylum seekers following U.S. election
As the possibility of mass deportations looms following Donald Trump's re-election on Tuesday, border towns like the City of Cornwall are preparing for a potential influx of asylum seekers.
Here are new guidelines for preventing stroke
The majority of strokes could be prevented, according to new guidelines aimed at helping people and their doctors do just that.
Opinion Was music really better when you were younger? Or is your mind deceiving you?
As I see other generations of music lovers say music was so much better when they were younger, I wondered why. We can’t all be right — or maybe we are? I talked to experts in how music influences our brains to find out.
Actor Tony Todd, known for his role in the movie 'Candyman' and its sequel, dies at 69
Actor Tony Todd, known for his haunting portrayal of a killer in the horror film “Candyman” and roles in many other films and television shows, has died, his longtime manager confirmed. He was 69.