Two Canadian teenagers have been arrested on charges linked to the cyberbullying case of Rehtaeh Parsons, who attempted suicide after she was bullied when a photo of her being sexually assaulted circulated online. Parsons died in April after being taken off life support.
According to the Associated Press, Parsons, 17, was allegedly assaulted in November 2011, her mother said. For months after it was posted and went viral, she was the victim of cyberbullying and she attempted suicide. After a yearlong investigation, police initially closed the case, determining that no one could be charged.
That sparked outrage across North America, but Halifax police held a press conference Thursday announcing that two 18-year-olds are being charged with distributing child pornography. The Canadian Press notes that one of the teens will also be charged with making child pornography. Their names were not released since they were still minors at the time of the alleged crime.
“I can tell you that we hope that today's arrests help the entire community to heal,” RCMP Chief-Supt. Roland Wells said during the conference. “A young girl has died in what is a tragic set of circumstances. We all need to reflect on how we as a community can come together in Rehtaeh's memory and see what we can do to work together to support our youth”
“I just want to say how pleased we are that progress has been made. I hope this will provide some measure of comfort to family members,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated. Harper had previously met with Parsons’ mother this year.
Glen Canning, Parsons’ father, told the press that he was disappointed that she didn’t get to see justice done while she was still alive. “It's sad and in a way it's a bit of relief that there may be some sense of justice done in this case,” he said.
The two teens are expected in court next Thursday.