A username typo sent the wrong man to prison for over a year

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:

In the latter stages of preparing my appeal arguments, it was discovered that the subpoena contained a subtle mistake that changed the course of my life. Instead of requesting details for the username “fus__ro_dah”, the subpoena requested details for the username “fus_ro_dah”. The police officer did not notice that the perpetrator’s Kik username “fus__ro_dah” contains a double underscore. This discrepancy went completely unnoticed at the trial. It was never brought to the attention of the trial judge.

“The Wisconsin police identified Mr. Klayme as the offender using an incorrect username. His conviction rested on the internet username being attributed to him,” read an excerpt of a Nova Scotia court’s appeal judgment, adding that he should never have been charged in the first place. The court also noted that the actual suspect likely resides in California, based on Kik subscriber information.

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.