Arrest in Netherlands over tragic cyberbullying case of Canadian teenager Amanda Todd
Police will apply for extradition of man said to be linked to suicide of YouTube video girl
A man has been arrested in the Netherlands in the case of a Canadian teenager who was blackmailed into exposing herself in front of a webcam and later committed suicide.
Amanda Todd, 15, told her story using handwritten signs on a YouTube video watched by millions around the world.
A picture of her exposing her breasts ended up on a Facebook page made by the stranger, to which her friends were added.
Amanda, of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, was repeatedly bullied, despite changing schools, before finally killing herself weeks after posting the video.
It has now been viewed more than 17 million times. "This is truly a day we have been waiting for," said Carol Todd, Amanda's mother. She wiped away tears as she thanked police.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Paulette Freill said the 35-year-old man was charged with extortion, criminal harassment and possession of child pornography for the purpose of distribution.
Police said there were other victims in Canada and internationally. Dutch prosecutors said the man was suspected of blackmailing girls in the US, Britain and the Netherlands.