Brandon Klayme, a man from Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been declared innocent after spending 18 months in prison for child luring and possession of child pornography charges that stemmed from a single-character mistake in a police investigation. Klayme was arrested in February 2020 following an investigation by authorities in Wisconsin into an exchange of sexual messages, photos and videos with a 12-year-old on the Kik messaging platform.
The suspect being sought used a Kik username referencing the "Unrelenting Force" dragon shout from The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, written as "fus__ro_dah" with two underscores. Investigators, however, pursued the username "fus_ro_dah," with only one underscore, and a subpoena for subscriber information based on that incorrect username led them to Klayme, whose account used the single-underscore version. Klayme was convicted in April 2023 and sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by 18 months of probation.
According to the sentencing order, no images or chats related to the case were found on any of Klayme's devices, but prosecutors spent three days presenting other evidence, including IP addresses and online account information, that the court used to conclude he was the person involved in the exchanges. It was not until 2026, while lawyers were preparing his appeal and trying to understand why digital forensic evidence pointed to him despite his denials, that the underscore discrepancy was discovered.
In an affidavit submitted to the court, Klayme said the mistake in the subpoena "changed the course of my life," explaining that authorities requested details for "fus_ro_dah" instead of "fus__ro_dah," and that this error went unnoticed at trial and was never brought to the judge's attention. The appeals court found that had the correct username been used from the start, the investigation would not have led to Klayme, and he would not have been arrested or charged.
The Nova Scotia appeals panel ruled in late July 2026 that Klayme is factually innocent, stating this was not a case of acquittal due to reasonable doubt or trial error, but that "he should never have been charged, let alone convicted." He has since been acquitted on all charges. The ruling also noted that if the correct username had been pursued, the investigation likely would have led to someone in California, who authorities now believe is connected to the original username.