Ottawa Man Faces 181 Charges Of Cyberbullying

Cyber Harassment – Criminal Charges

OTTAWA – An Ottawa man faces 181 charges after police say 38 people in Canada and other countries were subjected to cyberbullying and harassment over a 12-year period.

Eighteen of the victims are residents of Ottawa, the rest are from elsewhere in Canada, USA, and the UK, Otta police said Friday.

Dubbed as “Project Winter”, the charges follow an eight-month investigation.

“This individual stole individual’s identities, posted defamatory comments and other material online that affected all these victims not only personally, but also professionally,” said Carl Cartright, acting inspector with Ottawa police.

Cyber Bullying Cases

The activity began around 2001. The man was bullying people online that he knew, and preying on his victim’s acquaintances as he became more experienced in cyberbullying, Cartright said.

His tactics were sophisticated, using software to cover his tracks – this lead to a challenging investigation for investigators.

“As the victims came forward, police forces had to identify a common link,” Cartright said.

“The spider web, at the end, it must lead to a centre. At the centre of this web was our accused.”

A search warrant was executed Thursday at a west-end residence in Ottawa.

Robert Campbell, 42, faces 27 counts of criminal harassment, 85 counts of defamation libel and 69 counts of identity fraud.

The investigation also involved RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, police in Vancouver, Halifax, Central Saanich, B.C., Rothesay, N.B., and Ferndale, Mich., as well as London Metropolitan Police and the Hertfordshire Constabulary in the U.K.

Do you know how to protect yourself from cyberbullying?

Source: “181 Charges Laid against Ottawa Man for Cyberbullying.” Global News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2014.