Canadian officials are investigating how an innocent man spent 18 months in prison after police missed an underscore in his Skyrim username.
Archived version: https://archive.is/20260807200424/https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/canada-investigating-how-skyrim-username-mixup-sent-innocent-man-to-prison-for-18-months-3396037/
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12 Comments
BrikoX@lemmy.zip · 63 pts · 2d
Incompetence all around.
sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz · 38 pts · 2d
That was batshit crazy. His username was a universal phrase from the game. But they had possession of his device.
They weren't incompetent, they just didn't wasn't to continue looking for a perp
halcyoncmdr@piefed.social · 31 pts · 2d
How was he convicted with no actual evidence linking him to the crime? Just a, misspelled, username.
Wtf are you doing up there Canada?
Maeve@kbin.earth · 13 pts · 2d
Wtf? I think it's past time to lay, "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." It may be malice and incompetence, but it's been malice for a really long time. Maybe since the thought was formulated.
earmuff@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 54 pts · 2d
Some fonts make it hard to distinguish
fus__ro_dah / fus_ro_dahThat’s somewhat excusable.
However putting someone in prison after finding zero evidence is not excusable. Public prosecutor and judge must be held liable.
BurgerBaron@quokk.au · 28 pts · 2d
Guilty until proven innocent, according to the article. Wow.
jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 2d
I guss they didn't get the memo that it's innocent until proven guilty
Abyssian@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 2d
That's only true if you're rich enough to pay for a good lawyer, and investigators, and analysis labs.
If you have no money and a "public defender" you can tell them where evidence proving you're innocent is. They won't go look. That isn't their job. That isn't anyone's job to do for you, as the accused. Unless you have the money to pay people to do it.
shani66@ani.social · 8 pts · 2d
... What the fuck? Okay i know pigs should be turned into bacon as a general rule, but this is especially stupid. How in the fuck did they even get the messages but then get the wrong user name? It is more work to get the incorrect name!
rozodru@piefed.world · 3 pts · 1d
as a Canadian I can tell you first hand that our police, justice system, etc are an absolute joke here. There's just a massive sheer amount of incompetence nation wide in all parts of the system. nation wide. The country as a whole is governed and policed by idiots. I'm not kidding. It's not like the US where they also are governed and policed by idiots but there it's idiots with ill will and malicious intent. Here...we just have morons that are too stupid to be malicious.
undefinedTruth@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 2d
Another win for mass surveillance.
Mihies@programming.dev · 5 pts · 2d
Brazil movie explained it well.