Cops Mistype Username, Send Innocent Man to Prison for 18 Months

In 2018, a Canadian man named Brandon Klayme found himself facing 18 months in prison, all because of a single typo made by Canadian police. The incident began when police in Wisconsin investigated a man on Kik messaging app who had sent explicit messages to a 12-year-old girl. Klayme's username on the platform, fus__ro_dah, was mistakenly requested by the police due to a missing underscore, leading to Kik releasing Klayme's email address tied to an IP address in Canada.

Canadian investigators then reached out to the internet service provider, which revealed Klayme's location. Despite numerous red flags indicating the wrong man, the case was still pursued by Canadian authorities. After obtaining a search warrant, the Halifax Regional Police discovered no evidence linking Klayme to the case or the underage girl.

Klayme maintained he had not accessed his Kik account since 2012. He was arrested and charged with child luring, possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and sending sexually explicit material to a child. During the trial, the prosecution's case fell apart as the central piece of evidence—a Kik username—did not belong to Klayme.

The conviction was overturned on appeal, with the judges emphasizing that investigators had provided Kik with the incorrect username. The actual perpetrator turned out to be someone in California. Klayme's name was cleared, but he had already served the full 18-month sentence. The Halifax Regional Police, though not directly involved in launching the investigation, stated that it was a complex case that started with a Wisconsin police agency seeking assistance from Halifax Regional Police.