Yesterday, hackers associated with the Anonymous group said they found the man responsible for tormenting Vancouver teen Amanda Todd.
Now, the mother of a young man whose name has been splashed all over the Internet says her family has been subjected to a “lynch mob” mentality and urged the public to let the police do their investigation.
STORY: We Got ‘Em! Anonymous Hackers Say They Found Amanda Todd’s Bully
The “hacktivists” say they have found a man in his early 30s from New Westminster, B.C., who allegedly blackmailed the 15-year-old girl for pictures over the Internet.
The woman who claims to be the tormentor’s mother told the Postmedia News:
“It’s really dangerous to throw out names when you don’t know…This is doing more harm than good.”
As reported by the Calgary Herald:
Her comments echoed a statement put out by police Tuesday that said the investigation into Todd’s death had been hampered due to investigators having to respond to “unfounded” allegations and Internet rumors, as the medium that haunted the young girl’s life continued to plague her family even after her death.
The 15-year-old girl from Port Coquitlam, B.C., committed suicide last Wednesday. She had previously posted a YouTube video in which she described being the victim of years of bullying.
It started in Grade 7 when she flashed her breasts in front of a webcam, she said. The person on the other end later threatened her and circulated those images online.
This week, the loose collective of online “hacktivists” known as Anonymous, alleged that a man from New Westminster, B.C., was Todd’s tormentor.
It listed an address, email address and other personal information supposedly belonging to the man.
A man with the same name appeared this week in provincial court in Surrey, B.C., where he faces charges in a separate case of sexual assault and sexual touching of a minor.
The release of his name prompted a flurry of online comments — even the creation of Facebook pages — threatening his life.
The young man’s mother said Tuesday when her son was about 14, he sent to police the names of individuals — including a man in New York — who patronized a website containing photos of young children.
The mother went on to say that police should be allowed to carry out their investigation and let the justice system take its course. They have far more investigative tools than citizens on social media.
Who knows how much information put out by online hacktivists is even accurate, she said. “Half the stuff can be doctored.”
She described her son as “simple, sweet and caring.”
“Yeah, he has issues, like we all do — but he’s not a creepy street hoodlum doing crime…He’s still my son. I love him.”
If in fact this is the mother of Amanda Todd’s tormentor, now she is getting a taste of what the 15-year-old was going through when she was bullied on and offline. However, we don’t condone verbal abuse against anyone.
SOURCE: Calgary Herald
