Sexual abuse case involving 361 children started in Finland

A large-scale sexual crime investigation, which allegedly targeted hundreds of children in Finland, was brought to court.

In the case that started in the Pirkanmaa District Court, a 28-year-old man is accused of committing sexual crimes over the internet against 361 children living in different parts of the country.

It was reported that all of the victims were boys between the ages of 9 and 15 at the time of the incidents. It is stated that the actions subject to the accusations took place between 2019 and 2022.

According to the prosecution, the defendant reached children mainly through Snapchat.

It was claimed that the defendant introduced herself as a young woman in some meetings and asked children to send photos and videos. Authorities announced that there was no evidence that the defendant physically met with the victims, and that the accusations in the file were based on actions taken over the internet.

The investigation expanded when the defendant's phone was seized by the police as part of another previously conducted investigation.

It was stated that there were tens of thousands of sexually explicit photos and videos of children and young people on the device. Police identified hundreds of children after years of review of digital materials.

According to the police's estimation during the investigation phase, it was evaluated that the number of possible victims could be up to 900. However, approximately 530 of them could not be identified.

A CASE FILED FOR 361 CHILDREN

The Finnish Prosecutor's Office announced in June that there were 361 victims in the file.

Various charges were leveled against the defendant, including aggravated sexual abuse of a child, sexual abuse of a child, and aggravated dissemination of images depicting children in a sexual manner. The prosecutor's office decided that there was no need for prosecution in three files.

The defendant reportedly admitted to a significant portion of his actions during police interrogation.

On the first day of the trial, the defense side stated that approximately 90 percent of the events described in the accusations were essentially accepted by the defendant.

HEARINGS WILL BE HELD CLOSED

The general presentation on the first day of the trial was made open to the public. The court decided that the next sessions, where the accusations would be discussed in detail, would be held in private due to the fact that the victims were children and the nature of the file.

It was announced that the documents in the case file would be kept confidential.

The trial is expected to take a long time due to the size of the file and the large number of victims.

Pirkanmaa District Court scheduled approximately 45 hearing days. It was reported that the trial will continue until at least the end of 2026.

The prosecutor's office requests a prison sentence of up to 13 years, which is the highest combined sentence that can be applied in the case.