How a Single Underscore Wrongfully Sent a Canadian Man to Jail in S*x Crimes Case

A Canadian man named Brandon Klayme was wrongfully imprisoned for 18 months after authorities mixed up his Kik username with the username of someone who had committed s*x crimes involving a minor. The horrifying error stems from a mistake first made by police in Dane County, Wisconsin.

"He should never have been charged, let alone convicted," judges from the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal have now said.

How The Mix-Up Began

Authorities were looking for someone going by "fus__ro_dah," after that account used the chat app Kik to exchange s*xually explicit messages and images with a 12-year-old girl, whom the court refers to as C.H. Klayme's username on Kik, however, was "fus_ro_dah," with just one underscore between "fus" and "ro," not two.

It might sound unusual that two people would land on such similar variations of an uncommon username, but both names come from the dragon language in the role playing game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and roughly translate to force, balance and push, the New York Times noted in its report. Agra Viral Video: Disturbing Clip Shows S*x Assault Survivor Pleading in Field; 2 Arrested.

Where The Investigation Went Wrong

The investigation into Klayme's account began with the Dane County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin. The criminal Kik messages obtained by police there showed they had been sent by "fus__ro_dah," with a double underscore in the first part. However, when police subpoenaed Kik for account information, they said they were investigating "fus_ro_dah," with a single underscore. This discrepancy ended up leading authorities to Klayme's email address, and eventually, his identity. Prayagraj Love, S*x and Betrayal: Woman Says She Was Raped, Blackmailed With Obscene Videos and Abandoned After Nikah.

The matter was later referred to the Halifax Regional Police in Nova Scotia, where authorities also failed to catch the mismatch in usernames. Halifax police seized Klayme's electronic devices in 2020 and found no material linking him to C.H., nor any evidence that he had used his Kik account during the period in question. Despite this, he was charged with possession of child p*rnography, making s*xually explicit material available to a child, and child luring. Klayme was found guilty at trial and sentenced to 18 months in prison, which he completed in full.

The Discrepancy That Changed Everything

Klayme was serving his post-prison probation of 18 months when he decided to appeal. He told the court he had not used Kik since 2012 and pointed out that his username differed from the one that had sent the s*xually explicit material.

"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," Klayme wrote in a May 2026 affidavit to the court. "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."

Lawyer Zeb Brown told the Times, "We couldn't figure out how Mr. Klayme's account came into it. So we were taking a closer look at the trial evidence and the discrepancy was readily apparent in the printouts of the social media messages."

Klayme Now Considering Legal Action

Klayme is now "exploring his options and getting advice in regard to seeking damages in a civil lawsuit," Brown said.

In July, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal acquitted Klayme of all charges. The court stated in its decision, "The Wisconsin police identified Mr. Klayme as the offender using an incorrect username. His conviction rested on the internet username being attributed to him. Klayme is factually innocent of the offences."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 03, 2026 10:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).