Child Sexual Abuse in the Commonwealth > Nigerian sentenced for sextortion of Surrey teen who suicided; Porn sites will start using age verification in Britain

 

Man in Nigeria sentenced in sextortion of

late Surrey teen

Olukeye Adedayo Olalekan was sentenced on June 19 in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria to 76 years, to be served concurrently

Anna Burns
about 9 hours agoabout 9 hours ago

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1 / 2 RCMP say a man from Nigeria has been sentenced with sextortion in connection to the death of a 14-year-old hockey player pictured here at a police news conference in Surrey on Tuesday, Feb. 6. (Photo: Anna Burns)

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WARNING: This story contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been the victim of sextortion and are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. Other resources include Kids Help Phone - Phone: 1-800-668-6868, VictimLinkBC - Phone: 1-800-563-0808 or visit NeedHelpNow.ca

A 27-year-old man in Nigeria has been sentenced to 76 years imprisonment in connection with the sextortion of a Surrey teen. 

During a news conference in 2024 where Surrey RCMP announced that charges had been laid, police did not name the victim, but there was a photo of a teen at the news conference matching the appearance and vital statistics of hockey player Robin Janjua, a South Surrey resident whose death made headlines in February and March 2023.

Olukeye Adedayo Olalekan was sentenced on June 19 in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria to 76 years, to be served concurrently. He was charged with 18 criminal offences, including transmission of child pornography, fraudulent impersonation and sextortion.

"He was sentenced to two years imprisonment on counts one to four of procuring, distributing of child pornography and cyberstalking; four years imprisonment on counts five to 14 of retention and disguising the origin of proceeds of fraud, without an option of fine; seven years imprisonment on counts 15 to 18 of obtaining property under false pretences, without an option of fine. The sentences are to run concurrently," noted a BC RCMP press release Wednesday (June 15). 

So, does that mean he was actually sentenced to 7 years not 76? None of these charges seem to relate to his suicide.

On Feb. 13, 2023, police in Surrey were called to the sudden death of a youth in a home. Investigators determined that the youth "had been a victim of financial sextortion, and an investigation was immediately launched."   Janjua died by suicide.

Surrey’s serious crime unit took charge of the investigation, called Project Epa. According to investigators, credible evidence was found that the youth had been tricked into sending explicit photos to a suspect online who posed as a teenage girl.

Sgt. Derek Bonner, with the Surrey RCMP serious crime unit, said during the 2024 press conference the interactions took place on Snapchat and Instagram.

The suspect then blackmailed the youth with threats to share the photos with his family and friends unless he complied with demands of purchasing gift cards and sending them to the suspect.

Canada does not have an extradition tready with Nigeria. “In consultation with EFCC, it was decided that based on the evidence, we would continue to support the prosecution in Nigeria,” Bonner said.

Olalekan and another suspect were arrested by the EFCC in Nigeria on August 4, 2023. The second suspect was later released without charges. 

In September 2023, Olukeye pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to an EFCC news release. 

“Olukeye Adedayo Olalekan (a.k.a hrm877, charlotte 708 and harlilott_716) on or about the 13th February, 2023 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court intentionally used the Instagram virtual network to create a group…to distribute child pornography and you thereby committed an offence,” reads the release 

Supt. Darren Schneider, Investigative Services Officer for the RCMP Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit said,  “The conviction and sentencing of Olukeye Adeayo Olalekan is the result of an intense year-long international investigation.”

“This outcome came from collaborative efforts from the Surrey RCMP, the FBI, the Australian Federal Police and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC – Nigerian Federal Law Enforcement Agency). We are grateful to the many partners and agencies who assisted with this investigation. We believe this case delivers a strong message that sextortions and fraud will not be tolerated in our community.”

Police provided a number of resources for people who think they or someone they love is being financially extorted.

Major pornography sites to implement age verification

in Britain

By Andrew Sookdeo

Pornhub and other major adult websites will be implementing a “highly effective” age verification from the 25th of July in the U.K. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

June 26 (UPI) -- Pornhub and other major pornographic websites plan to implement age verification practices in Britain by the end of July in order to comply with a newly implemented Online Safety Act.

Aylo the parent company of Pornhub and various other pornography sharing websites and filming studios said it plans to implement "government approved age assurance methods" by July 25.

The Online Safety Act deadline requires pornographic websites to implement "robust" age verification methods by that date or face fines.

The company did not specify what methods it would implement but British regulator Ofcom has listed several acceptable methods, including facial age estimation, open banking, digital identity services, credit card age checks, email-based age estimation, mobile network operator age checks, and photo ID-matching.

It will be interesting to see if it actually works, and, if it does, how much of a drop in viewers PornHub sees.

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"Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling," said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom's group director of online safety, in a statement.

"Now, change is happening. These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s."

New Ofcom research found that 8% of children between the ages of 8 and 14 accessed a porngraphy site or app over a 28-day period, including 19% boys and 11% of girls from 13 to 14 years old.

It also found that 3% of 8 to 9-year-olds -- the youngest demographic in the study -- had accessed pornography during the survey period.

"We know that highly effective age assurance can play a vital role in protecting young users from accessing harmful and inappropriate material on social media and other platforms," said Rani Govender, policy manager for child safety online at the NSPCC.

"It is time tech companies take responsibility for ensuring children have safe, age-appropriate experiences online, and we welcome the progress that Ofcom are making in this space," continued Govender.

According to data from Similiarweb, Pornhub is the most visited porn site around the world.

Aylo's vice president of brand and community Alex Kekesi said Ofcom age verification steps were less intrusive compared to ones that have been pushed for before.

"Ofcom recognizes the scale of the challenge ahead and is approaching it with thorough consideration," she said.

The regulations require that the verification methods don't impede adults from accessing legal pornographic content or put their private information at risk.

Marcus Johnstone from PCD Solicitors said that age checks may not address the problem but instead would bring more attention to the dark web.

"I have cases where clients as young as 14 access the dark web," he added.

"In one case, my client, aged 15, accessed the dark web to buy drugs but also then found access to extreme illegal pornography."

"Any teenager with a phone can now watch and read content that is both illegal and heinous, and is unregulated by any company or agency."

"It is the dark web that is the greatest menace to our society and is a gateway to a world of abuse, exploitation and radicalisation. This is where better policing is required."

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Child Sexual Abuse - Legal > SCOTUS upholds age verification law for porn sites; SCOTUS provides injunction against MD school board over LGBTQ policy

 

Supreme Court upholds Texas age verification law

for adult websites

NYPost

By 

Ryan King

Published June 27, 2025

 Updated June 27, 2025, 12:44 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court upheld a Texas law Friday that requires adult websites to verify the age of their users, concluding that the policy does not violate the First Amendment.

In a 6-3 decision, the high court deemed the law “appropriately tailored,” backing a prior Fifth Circuit decision that found states should be able to prevent youngsters from viewing smut online.

“The statute advances the State’s important interest in shielding children from sexually explicit content,” conservative Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the majority opinion.

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The age verification policy does not violate the First Amendment, the Court ruled.

Getty Images

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In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court upheld a Texas law that requires adult websites to verify the age of their users.

AP

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“And, it is appropriately tailored because it permits users to verify their ages through the established methods of providing government-issued identification and sharing transactional data.”

Texas passed the law, House Bill 1181, in 2023, applying to companies where one-third of the content is considered detrimental to minors. 

The measure stipulates that websites take “reasonable” age verification steps and levies a $1,000-a-day penalty on violators.

$1000 a day is a great deal for Porn Hub, they can make that much in a few minutes.

Pornhub had stopped operations in Texas and other states with similar laws due to concerns it couldn’t comply with the age verification policy. At least 24 states had passed similar age verification laws that had been blocked by the lower courts.

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A disclaimer of the adult website.

DG-Studio – stock.adobe.com

The Free Speech Coalition, which represents the adult entertainment industry, had sued to nix HB 1181. The New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld the law, prompting the Supreme Court challenge. 

The plaintiffs had expressed fears that the age verification rules would lead to identity theft and cause other other compliance problems. 

But Thomas wrote that the “specific verification methods that H. B. 1181 permits are … plainly legitimate.”

“Verification can take place on the covered website itself or through a third-party service,” he noted. “Other age-restricted services, such as online gambling, alcohol and tobacco sales, and car rentals, rely on the same methods.”

Thomas also brushed aside arguments that, due to the stigma of pornography use, adults would not want to submit to age verification, suggesting that third-party services can ensure adequate privacy.

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Pornhub is a well-known adult website in the US.

Rokas – stock.adobe.com

Liberal Justice Elena Kagan wrote the dissent for the left flank of the court. She acknowledged that “[n]o one doubts that the distribution of sexually explicit speech to children, of the sort involved here, can cause great harm.”

But she argued that the Texas law went too far.

“Speech that is obscene for minors is often not so for adults. For them, the category of obscene—and therefore unprotected speech—is narrower,” she wrote. “So adults have a constitutional right to view the very same speech that a State may prohibit for children.”

“What if Texas could do better—what if Texas could achieve its interest without so interfering with adults’ constitutionally protected rights in viewing the speech?”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who is vying for the Senate next year, hailed the decision as a “major victory for children, parents, and the ability of states to protect minors from the damaging effects of online pornography.”

“Companies have no right to expose children to pornography and must institute reasonable age verification measures,” he said in a statement. “I will continue to enforce the law against any organization that refuses to take the necessary steps to protect minors from explicit materials.”

Justices had held oral arguments in Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton back in January. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito went viral for asking whether erotica powerhouse Pornhub carries cultural content similar to “the old Playboy magazine.”

“You have essays there by the modern-day equivalent of Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr.?” Alito asked counsel at one point to audible laughs, recalling the longstanding joke about men buying Hugh Hefner’s venerable title “for the articles.”

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Supreme Court rules in favor of Maryland parents who want to pull kids from classes with LGBTQ-themed books

NYPost

By 

Samuel Chamberlain and

 

Ryan King

Published June 27, 2025

 Updated June 27, 2025, 12:03 p.m. ET

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group of Maryland parents who sued a school board over its refusal to allow elementary school children to be taken out of classes with LGBTQ-themed storybooks.

In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines Friday, the justices overturned a lower court ruling that found the parents needed to show that their kids were being coerced to act differently than their religious beliefs. The high court concluded that the parents “have shown that they are entitled to a preliminary injunction” because they “are likely to succeed in their challenge to the Board’s policies.

“The ruling is not the final decision in the matter, as the case will head back to the lower courts for further review.  

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People supporting the right to opt out their children from classes with LGBTQ-themed books protest outside the Supreme Court on April 22, 2025.

AFP via Getty Images

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A selection of books featuring LGBTQ characters were part of the Supreme Court case.

AP
“A government burdens the religious exercise of parents when it requires them to submit their children to instruction that poses ‘a very real threat of undermining’ the religious beliefs and practices that the parents wish to instill,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority.

“And a government cannot condition the benefit of free public education on parents’ acceptance of such instruction.”

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) approved certain LGBTQ-themed curriculum books in late 2022. Initially, MCPS allowed an opt-out for parents with religious concerns, but by March of 2023, it reversed course, citing concerns about absenteeism and administrative burdens.

A group of parents from Muslim, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox faiths sued the school district, arguing the lack of an opt-out system trampled upon their religious rights as parents.

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Some books in the LGBTQ+ section for very young children in the children’s center at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library of the NY Public Library on Fifth Ave.

Helayne Seidman

The reading material in question included “Pride Puppy,” a picture book aimed at three- and four-year-olds that instructs kids to look for items they might find at a gay pride parade, such as underwear, lip rings, drag kings, and late gay liberation activist Marsha Johnson, whom critics noted was once a sex worker.

Other books that were part of the curriculum delved into transgenderism — such as “Intersection Allies,” meant for K-5 students, explains transgender and non-binary concepts, while asking the question, “What pronouns fit you?”

“What Are Your Words?” tells students in a similar age range that one’s pronouns can “change like the weather” and follows one child who briefly embraces “they/them” pronouns.

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Montgomery County parent Wael Elkoshairi speaks in front of supporters of parents advocating for religious rights outside of the US Supreme Court Building on April 22, 2025.

Getty Images

In “Born Ready,” a little boy gets confused about how his sister is transitioning into a boy, prompting the mother to inform him that “not everything needs to make sense.”

The MCPS board provided teachers with guidance to inform students that “not everyone is a boy or girl,” according to the plaintiffs.

“Like many books targeted at young children, the books are unmistakably normative,” Alito wrote. “They are clearly designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected.””High school students may understand that widespread approval of a practice does not necessarily mean that everyone should accept it, but very young children are most unlikely to appreciate that fine point,” he added.

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Supporters of LGBTQ rights demonstrate outside the US Supreme Court.

AFP via Getty Images

“[T]he storybooks unmistakably convey a particular viewpoint about same-sex marriage and gender. And the Board has specifically encouraged teachers to reinforce this viewpoint and to reprimand any children who disagree. That goes far beyond mere ‘exposure.'”

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor penned the dissent, claiming the majority “invents a constitutional right to avoid exposure to ‘subtle’ themes ‘contrary to the religious principles’ that parents wish to instill in their children.”

“Given the great diversity of religious beliefs in this country, countless interactions that occur every day in public schools might expose children to messages that conflict with a parent’s religious beliefs,” she argued. “If that is sufficient to trigger strict scrutiny, then little is not.”

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A Supreme Court police officer stands watch outside of the Supreme Court, June 26, 2025.

AP

“The result will be chaos for this Nation’s public schools. Requiring schools to provide advance notice and the chance to opt out of every lesson plan or story time that might implicate a parent’s religious beliefs will impose impossible administrative burdens on schools.

“Sotomayor also argued that the Supreme Court has never previously “held that mere exposure to concepts inconsistent with one’s religious beliefs could give rise to a First Amendment claim.”

Justices had largely signed their leanings in the case during oral arguments in April. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who described himself as a “lifelong resident” of Montgomery Country, expressed that he was “a bit mystified” over the controversy.

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A picture of the Supreme Court justices.

AP

“The other Maryland counties have opt-outs for all sorts of things,” he said during oral arguments.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon applauded the ruling, hailing it as “a major win for religious liberty and parental rights.”

“The Court rightfully held that schools can’t shut parents out or disregard their religious obligations to their children,” she said on X. “A great day for parents and education champions!”

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