An innocent man spent 18 months in prison because police misread his Skyrim user name
A Nova Scotia man spent 18 months in prison after police linked him to alleged online child-luring offences by confusing his Kik username with that of the actual suspect. The error involved a single missing underscore in a Skyrim-inspired handle, raising serious concerns about the verification of digital evidence in criminal investigations and prosecutions.
Police sought data for “fus__ro_dah” but requested records for “fus_ro_dah”, identifying the wrong account holder. The man was convicted on three charges in 2024 and served his full 18-month sentence before the mistake was uncovered; a search of his home in February 2020 had found no evidence connecting him to the offences.
- One missing underscore led to a wrongful conviction.
- The man served all 18 months before the error emerged.
- The case highlights failures in checking digital evidence.