Nova Scotia’s justice minister says he is “very concerned” after a Halifax man was acquitted in a wrongful conviction case tied to an online username mix-up.
Brandon Klayme spent 18 months in jail after being convicted of child luring, making sexually explicit material available to a minor and possession of child pornography.
The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal has since acquitted him on all charges.
The case came down to the difference between two nearly identical online usernames, one with a single underscore and one with two.
According to the court decision, U.S. authorities investigating online conversations with a 12-year-old girl mistakenly retrieved information connected to Klayme’s username.
The appeal court found there was no evidence linking Klayme to the girl, the online conversations or the images.
The court said Klayme was factually innocent and should never have been charged or convicted.
Justice Minister Scott Armstrong was asked about the case following a cabinet meeting.
“I’m very concerned about this,” Armstrong said. “I’m not sure how something like this can happen within the system.”
Armstrong says he has asked the Public Prosecution Service for a specific briefing on all the steps in the case.
He says he will decide on next steps after that meeting.
“I feel terrible for Mr. Klayme and his family and anyone that was involved in this,” Armstrong said. “This is something that we’re going to take some steps to make sure can never happen again.”
Armstrong says he has not ruled out any options, including a possible inquiry.
“I haven’t made any decisions. I’m not ruling anything out though,” Armstrong said.
He says the case raises concerns about public confidence in the justice system.
Armstrong says he takes responsibility as justice minister and attorney general to make sure Nova Scotia has a justice system people can count on.
“When we have a situation like this with a wrongful conviction, I think that can shake that trust people have in the system,” Armstrong said.
The minister says the Department of Justice is open to meeting with Klayme and his representatives.
He says he is also looking for answers on how the case unfolded.
“This one’s particularly concerning to me because when you look at the details of the case, you’re just wondering how can something like this happen,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong says he expects to meet with the Public Prosecution Service in the next couple of weeks.
