HL (A Young Person) v. Facebook Inc. & Anr. [2015] NIQB 61 In the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, Queen’s Bench Division Reference STE9710 Before Justice Stephens Decided on June 25, 2015 Relevancy of the Case: Validity of a minor’s consent while opening a social media account when she misrepresents her age Statutes and Provisions Involved The Data Protection Act 1998 (Section 2(f)) Relevant Facts of the Case The plaintiff posted inappropriate sexual posts on her Facebook page. At the time of posting, she was 11 years old. She misrepresented her age when signing up on the Fac ..read more

R. v. Playfair [2023] NICC 15 In the Crown Court for the Division of Belfast ICOS Number 21/089414, 21/007938, and 21/059533 Before Justice Rafferty, KC Decided on May 09, 2023 Relevancy of the Case: Sentencing in a case involving 23 counts of child sexual abuse, disclosure of private sexual photos and videos, and blackmail Statutes and Provisions Involved The Theft (NI) Act, 1969 (Section 20) The Criminal Justice (Evidence etc.) (NI) Order, 1988 (Article 15(1)) The Protection of Children (NI) Order, 1978 (Article 3(1)(b)) The Sexual Offences (NI) Order, 2008 (Article 3, 16(2), 17(1), 22A) Th ..read more

R. v. SA 2023 ABCJ 111 In the Alberta Court of Justice Docket 220944086P1 Before Justice J.J. Stuffco Decided on May 03, 2023 Relevancy of the Case: Consideration of mitigating factors in a sentencing hearing for non-consensual publication of an intimate video Statutes and Provisions Involved The Criminal Code, 1985 (Section 162.1(1), 162(1)(a)) Relevant Facts of the Case The accused made a ten-minute video of the victim. They met online through a dating website. He recorded the victim without her consent. In the video, she was nude, exposing her face and genitals. When the victim found tha ..read more

R. v. Weedon 2023 ONCJ 318 In the Ontario Court of Justice Court File Number 22-14721 Before Justice R. Wadden Decided on July 17, 2023 Relevancy of the Case: Sentencing hearing in a case involving accessing ex-girlfriend’s Snapchat account and posting her nude images Statutes and Provisions Involved The Criminal Code, 1985 (Section 162.1, 430(5), 264) Relevant Facts of the Case On September 25, 2021, Weedon accessed his ex-girlfriend’s Snapchat account and posted nude images and videos of her to her Snapchat. The jury trial found him guilty on the counts of making available intimate images ..read more

R. v. McPhee 2020 ABPC 106 In the Provincial Court of Alberta Docket 181146077P1 Before Judge A.A. Fradsham Decided on June 11, 2020 Relevancy of the Case: Cognitive difficulties as a mitigating factor in the sentencing of a case involving blackmailing and sextortion of a minor girl Statutes and Provisions Involved The Criminal Code, 1985 (Section 161(1), 163.1, 172.1, 487.04(a), 490.013, 490.1(1), 718.01, 718.2, 743.21(1)) Relevant Facts of the Case The defendant, McPhee, aged 18, befriended the 16-year-old victim across various social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. After ..read more

R. v. Coban 2022 BCSC 1810 In the Supreme Court of British Columbia Docket X078463 Before Justice Devlin Decided on October 14, 2022 Relevancy of the Case: Appeal against the final sentencing in a case of online sextortion where a minor victim suffered for over 3 years Statutes and Provisions Involved The Criminal Code, 1985 (Section 163.1, 172.1, 264, 346) Relevant Facts of the Case In 2012, AT, a British Canadian teenager, tragically died by suicide. She was the victim of sexual extortion by the accused, Coban. From November 2009 to February 2012, he bombarded AT with over 700 messages on ..read more

R. v. Coban 2022 BCSC 94 In the Supreme Court of British Columbia Docket X078463 Before Justice Devlin Decided on January 20, 2022 Relevancy of the Case: Request for a publication ban to hide the accused’s identity in an online sextortion trial Statutes and Provisions Involved The Criminal Code, 1985 (Section 486.5, 486.6, 486.31) Relevant Facts of the Case The accused engaged in online sextortion against the victim, AT, aged 12 to 15, between 2009 and 2012. He executed this act in different coercive ways through online aliases, gained access to her explicit sexual content, and blackmailed ..read more

R. v. Coban 2021 BCSC 1855 In the Supreme Court of British Columbia Docket X078463 Before Justice Devlin Decided on September 23, 2021 Relevancy of the Case: Is presenting evidence from the accused’s other cases prejudicial in a trial for blackmailing and extortion of a minor girl? Relevant Facts of the Case Coban, the accused, extorted an underage girl over the Internet from January 2009 to October 2012. He used multiple aliases over different platforms such as Skype, Facebook, YouTube, and email to communicate with the underage girl and then with her family, friends, and teachers. In 2014 ..read more

R. v. McFarlane 2018 MBCA 48 In the Court of Appeal of Manitoba Docket AR18-30-09000 Before Justice D.M. Cameron, Justice W.J. Burnett, and Justice C.J. Mainella Decided on April 26, 2018 Relevancy of the Case: Appeal against the sentencing hearing in a case of voyeurism, distribution of intimate image without consent, and extortion Statutes and Provisions Involved The Criminal Code, 1985 (Section 162, 162.1, 162.2, 346(1), 486.4, 688, 718.2) Relevant Facts of the Case This case involves an appeal against the appellant’s sentencing. The trial court convicted him of voyeurism, distribution o ..read more

United States v. Kowal 527 F.3d 741 In the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Case Number 07-3353 Before Circuit Judge Murphy, Circuit Judge Colloton, and Circuit Judge Shepherd Decided on May 29, 2008 Relevancy of the Case: Can using a deceased person’s identity be considered identity theft? Statutes and Provisions Involved In 1988, the prosecution charged the defendant with multiple counts of theft and forgery related to embezzlement of funds from his employer. While facing pending charges, he assumed the new identity of Larry Tipton, who died in December 1944. Utilising ..read more