VANCOUVER - A Dutch court has refused to grant a third delay in the trial of a man accused of making child pornography and online extortion linked to the suicide of a British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd.
A spokeswoman for the Amsterdam court says the criminal proceedings against Aydin Coban will continue on Monday despite that his lawyer officially quit the case Friday morning, the opening day of the trial.
Polly van Dijk says the court must consider not only the suspect's interests but also those of his more than 30 alleged victims by ensuring the trial moves forward in a timely manner.
Coban faces 72 charges, most of which relate to the production and distribution of child pornography and blackmail, and involve 39 victims from around the world.
The court already granted his new lawyer, Robert Malewicz, a two-week delay, but he says more time is needed to prepare for the case, which includes thousands of pages of documents.
The Canadian government has already asked that Coban be extradited to B.C. to face five separate charges related to the suicide of Todd, the 15-year-old girl who killed herself after being bullied over nude photos that Coban is alleged to have posted online.
