A 27-year-old man stands trial at the Pirkanmaa District Court in Tampere, Finland, facing hundreds of charges for sexually abusing minors online between 2019 and 2022, according to Finnish prosecutors and public broadcaster Yle. The suspect allegedly contacted children aged nine to 15 across the Nordic country via Snapchat, demanding explicit photographs and participation in sexual acts.
The trial opened on Monday with a public session in Tampere, located northwest of Helsinki. According to the court’s schedule, proceedings will move behind closed doors on Tuesday due to the sensitive nature of the case and the ages of the victims. The court estimates that the trial will require approximately 45 days of hearings and stretch at least until the end of the year.
Charges and Investigation Details
The prosecution’s case centers on extensive digital evidence gathered after police seized the suspect’s mobile phone in December 2022 during an unrelated criminal investigation. According to law enforcement authorities cited by Yle, forensic examinations of the device uncovered thousands of videos and images featuring unidentified minors.
In December 2025, Finnish police announced they were investigating the man for 364 potential sexual offenses against minors. By June, the National Prosecution Authority decided not to pursue charges in three of those specific instances, leaving a total of 361 counts. The primary charges brought against the defendant include aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, standard sexual abuse of a minor, and aggravated distribution of sexually explicit images of minors, according to the prosecutor’s statements reported by AFP.
Modus Operandi and Court Proceedings
Investigators determined that the accused used Snapchat to target victims spread across various regions of Finland. Police stated that the man pressured children to take and send self-portraits and videos showing themselves nude or in very minimal clothing, alongside demands for direct sexual acts. During the initial police interrogation, the defendant admitted to a partial of the charges leveled against him.
Because the victims are minors between the ages of nine and fifteen, significant portions of the 45-day judicial process will remain restricted from public view to protect their identities and privacy.