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We’ve all mistyped someone’s username before, whether it’s on social media, gaming networks, or other platforms. Unfortunately, it turns out that police mistyped a suspect’s username, subsequently sending him to jail for 18 months.
A Nova Scotia court overturned Brandon Klayme’s conviction for child sex abuse charges after it emerged that Wisconsin police mistakenly typed his username in a subpoena instead of the actual suspect’s handle (h/t: Ars Technica). More specifically, Klayme’s Kik messenger username was fus_roh_dah, while the suspect’s handle was fus__roh_dah. That is, the suspect’s username had an extra underscore.
US police then handed the case over to Canadian authorities when it turned out that the (erroneously typed) Kik account belonged to Klayme, a Canadian citizen. Police searched his home and seized several devices. They found that he had a Kik account, but that there was no evidence linking him to the crimes. They also found that he hadn’t used Kik during the time frame of the crimes. Nevertheless, Klayme was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in jail. He served the full term and subsequently filed an appeal.
Klayme explained the typo’s discovery in an affidavit:
While it’s a relief that Klayme’s conviction was overturned, it’s alarming that the typo passed through the police forces of two countries and the Canadian judicial system without being flagged. This is particularly concerning due to the fact that there wasn’t any evidence tying him to the crimes in the first place. Here’s hoping that he can claim hefty compensation for this wrongful conviction.
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