A Finnish man, detained back in April, is suspected of sexually assaulting more than 200 minors and minors, carried out on the American video messaging platform Omegle and other social networks between 2022 and 2023, Finnish police said, as quoted by AFP and BTA.
The 30-year-old man, whose name has not been released, is believed to have contacted "more than 200 minors" via video messages. between the ages of 6 and 15, mostly girls, and asked them to "remain in skimpy clothing and perform sexual acts" on camera, police said. Arrested in April, the man is suspected of aggravated child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation and pimping.
Initial contacts were made on Omegle and in some cases continued on other platforms, police said in a statement.
Identifying all the victims is difficult because many of them had anonymous access to the site, which was closed at the end of 2023. Of the more than 200 minors, "177 have not yet been identified," said Petri Lampu, head of the investigation.
The alleged offenses took place in 2022 and 2023, and police have asked the legal guardians of the children who may have been victims to assist with the investigation.
"Given the alleged acts and the number of complainants, this is a large-scale crime,", Lampu stressed.
Sexual harassment and assault were widespread on Omegle, which was launched in 2009, according to Finnish police. Its founder, Leif Kay-Brooks, announced that the network would be shut down in November 2023.
But "children can also become victims through other applications, such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Discord", warns the police, urging parents to control their children's use of social networks.