Key facts
- A 2018 child-luring investigation was based on a mistaken username.
- Police sought 'fus__ro_dah' but requested records for 'fus_ro_dah'.
- Brandon Klayme was wrongly identified and arrested in 2020.
- Klayme was convicted in 2023 and served 18 months in prison.
- The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal overturned the conviction, stating Klayme's factual innocence.
A critical error in a police investigation, stemming from a single missing underscore in a username, led to an innocent man being imprisoned for 18 months. The case began in 2018 when Wisconsin authorities were investigating a child-luring incident involving the Kik messaging service. Police were searching for a user identified as 'fus__ro_dah' but mistakenly requested records for 'fus_ro_dah'. This discrepancy resulted in Kik providing information linked to Brandon Klayme, a Canadian man from Nova Scotia.
Despite no evidence found on his digital devices, Klayme was arrested in 2020 on child sex abuse charges. He was subsequently convicted in 2023 and served the full 18-month sentence. Following his release, Klayme continued to fight his conviction. During the preparation for his appeal, the crucial username mistake was uncovered. On Thursday, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal officially overturned Klayme’s conviction, declaring him factually innocent and stating he should never have been charged or convicted.