A Dutch police inspector with expertise in forensic digital investigations told a jury at BC Supreme Court he found a log file at a vacation home in The Netherlands that was connected to a computer named “Admins-PC.”
Wybren van der Meer, who has been with the Dutch National Police for the past dozen years, spoke to Madam Justice Martha Devlin and the jury in New Westminster via video — and through an interpreter — from The Netherlands about an investigation he worked on in 2013–14 called “Disclosure” that involved online activities via an external IP address linked to the “Admins-PC” computer.
On Jan. 15, 2014, van der Meer said he visited the vacation home in Oisterwijk — about an hour south of Amsterdam — for information about the external IP addresses at the home.
Earlier, police had arrested a suspect in the neighbourhood in connection with the cyberbullying case of Port Coquitlam student Amanda Todd, the court heard.
Van der Meer said two people were home at the time, and he received permission from the occupants to investigate their router.
Using a web browser, he was able to get into their administration page using the generic password provided on the router machine to see details about internet connections via the network SpeedTouch9E92CE.
There, he took screen shots for the investigation of the internal IP addresses, as well as the MAC addresses (a MAC address is a unique physical address assigned to each network adapter in a computer or a mobile device).
Two IP addresses were linked to the computer “Admins-PC,” he said.
“I could tell from them that this combination — this device — had been connected to the router,” he testified on the fourth day of the trial.
Aydin Coban, a native of The Netherlands, is on trial for five counts. On Monday (June 6), he pleaded not guilty to:
- extortion
- importing and distributing child pornography
- possession of child pornography
- communicating with the intent to lure a child
- criminal harassment
None of the allegations is proven in court.
CROSS-EXAM BY DEFENCE
In cross-examination by defence counsel Elliot Holzman, van der Meer was shown a photo of the brick-facade vacation home he visited on Jan. 15, 2014.
Van der Meer admitted there were “variables” when connecting to the internet via wifi from a distance, including physical factors such as trees and home building materials.
Van der Meer confirmed only one address was linked to “Admins-PC” via wifi — not two — and he said the second address was likely connected with a hard cable.
Det. Const. Robin Shook, a digital investigations officer with the Vancouver Police Department, resumed testifying this afternoon. He is also scheduled to be on the stand tomorrow (Friday) as a Crown witness.
The trial continues.
