Amanda Todd case: Trial hears from Dutch police investigator about computers seized in search
A Dutch police investigator testified Friday about computers and other technology seized from a property in the Netherlands at the jury trial of a man accused of sextorting Port Coquitlam teen Amanda Todd.
Dutch citizen Aydin Coban has pleaded not guilty to extortion, harassment, child luring and possession of child pornography.
Marten Busstra, who was with a team investigating child abuse, told the court about a laptop and desktop computer seized from a bungalow where Coban had been arrested in January 2014.
Busstra testified about how police take steps to make copies of data found on devices they seize as part of a search for any potential evidence.
“We open the computer to see if we can find storage devices, discs, which would contain data that might be relevant for the case,” he testified. “We always work with copies of data, never with the originals … once we are able to create a successful copy of that, they (the original devices) will be stored in a specific exhibit room.”
The court has heard about a number of items seized from the bungalow, including a passport with the name Aydin Coban that was found stashed inside a stereo, along with cash and a hard drive.
In cross examination, Busstra told the court investigators found evidence on the laptop of someone using the computer in the hours before the seizure.
“I remember having checked how long this laptop was online or booted up, active,” Busstra said. “When I read the history I found a couple of commands and based on this information, I would say that the commands were input in those last hours before the seizure.”
Busstra told the court he was aware digital investigators had gone into the bungalow a number of weeks before the search, and had installed covert monitoring software, described as “keylogger” software, on some devices.
However, when asked if members of the same team had re-entered the bungalow before him on the night of the search to remove the software, Busstra said “I do not remember that.”
He told the court the only thing he remembered was being called into the bungalow and encountering a colleague “that was also the only person in the bungalow.”
The Crown has said Todd was the victim of a persistent campaign of online sextortion from age 12 to 15. They allege someone with 22 phony accounts tried to use explicit photos of the teen as leverage to get her to perform sex acts online, and when she did not comply, would send links to the images to family, friends, and others.
Todd died by suicide in 2012 at age 15, after sharing a video outlining allegations of bullying and blackmail.
Coban’s defence counsel has said this case is about whether the Crown can prove who was behind the messages sent to Todd.
The trial continues next week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.