Hacktivist group Anonymous has reportedly tracked down the man who bullied Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old Canadian girl who committed suicide after suffering torment that led to depression and anxiety.
Anonymous named Todd's alleged bully on Monday in a post on Pastebin.com. The accusers allege that the man who targeted Todd, made her flash him and then turned her life into a living nightmare is a 30-year-old from New Westminster, British Columbia. The post describes him as the man who "extorted amanda todd for pictures. This is the pedophile that social engineered Amanda Todd into supplying him nude pictures."
Anonymous also revealed his address.
Vice magazine posted information that reportedly further links Todd to the alleged bully, including Google Map screenshots of his house, his Facebook profile, chat conversations and screenshots from a "jailbait" website account supposedly tied to the man.
Vice reports that Anonymous got involved in tracking down Todd's bully after nude autopsy photos of deceased Amanda Todd leaked online.
“We generally don’t like to deal with police first hand but were compelled to put our skills to good use protecting kids,” read an email sent by Anonymous to Canada's CTV News. “Ironically we have some good people in Vancouver who brought this to our admin’s attention. It’s a very sad story that affects all of us.”
The man who Anonymous identified as Todd's bully appeared in court on Monday on charges of sexual assault and sexual interference with a minor, unrelated to Todd, CTV reported. The man claims he was Todd's friend and pointed the finger at a New York man who was harassing her.
Todd, who lived in Coquitlam, B.C., an area by Vancouver, committed suicide last Wednesday. In early September, she posted a YouTube video detailing her struggle with bullying, self-harm and suicide attempts.
The torment began, according to Todd's YouTube video, after she flashed a man online when she was in seventh grade. One year later, she said, he tracked her down on Facebook and forwarded her topless photo to everyone. She was bullied at each school she went to, beat up by angry girls and attempted to kill herself by drinking bleach.
Todd's family is distraught by her passing, but her father finds solace in the fact that his daughter now has some peace.
“She was very courageous and I really love that she made that video,” her father Norm told the Vancouver Sun. “She told me why she made it — she wanted to send a message out so that it wouldn’t happen to someone else, so no one would have to go through what she went through [...] She did that on her own and her message is being delivered now. It makes me happy that her voice is still alive and being heard."
The two had planned to get tattoos together. Amanda wanted hers to read "Stay Strong" on her arm. Norm plans to get the "Stay Strong" tattoo for his daughter, according to the Sun.