Two young men were arrested in the cyberbullying case of a 17-year-old Canadian girl who killed herself after a photo of her allegedly being sexually assaulted circulated online. They were charged with distributing child pornography almost two years after the alleged assault.
Rehtaeh Parsons, who died after being removed from life support following a suicide attempt in April, led to an outcry across North America. Police initially concluded there were no grounds to charge anyone after a yearlong investigation.
Her mother said a boy took a photo of the alleged assault in November 2011 and that her daughter was bullied for months after it went viral.
Rehtaeh Parsons, who died after being removed from life support following a suicide attempt in April, led to an outcry across North America
On Thursday, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Roland Wells said one man, 18, was charged with two counts of distributing child pornography and the second man, also 18, was charged with making child pornography and distributing it. Wells said the two are not being identified because they were minors when the alleged crimes occurred.
Halifax Police Chief Jean-Michel Blais said the available evidence did not meet the threshold for sexual assault charges against the two individuals. Blais said police also consulted with prosecutors and said there wasn’t sufficient evidence for sexual assault charges.
Police announced the arrests earlier Thursday and the two were brought in for questioning.
Police in April said a person provided new information in the Parsons case and was willing to verify who the suspects are.
Earlier in the day, Rehtaeh’s parents said news of the arrests brought them some solace, though the girl’s father expressed disappointment that his daughter never saw justice served in her short life.