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Of: TT
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Photo: Gorm Kallestad
The man contacted the girls on the Snapchat app and convinced them to submit nude photos of them. But they received no money, as the man promised. Instead, he threatened to release the images, if he didn’t get more. Stock Photography.
The girls who posted nude photos on Snapchat thought the photos weren’t saved. But the recipient had an app that kept images secret and then threatened to spread them further.
Now a man is being prosecuted for having exploited a long list of girls to pose sexually.
The indictment in Skaraborg District Court will cover a total of about 70 crime victims in various parts of the country. Most are girls who were between the ages of 10 and 17 when they were tricked into sending photos on Snapchat to the 29-year-old now accused.
– This is very ugly. Many victims are very young and many have felt very bad, says chamber prosecutor Ylva Lundgren.
She has filed charges in rounds. The last ones arrive on Wednesday. The 29-year-old has admitted in many cases.
Among the latest charges are some similar crimes that happened differently.
Naked pictures at school
Two years ago, nude photos taken in the girls’ locker room of a secondary school in Västergötland were investigated. The photos were sent from student to student.
– It was very difficult for the school and for the girls who did not dare to shower or change at school, says Ylva Lundgren.
Now a Snapchat name that appeared in the school’s investigation has been linked to the 29-year-old, who in these cases is being prosecuted for inciting offensive photography.
– He has forced or in some other way persuaded a person, probably a student at the school, to take the photographs, the prosecutor says.
Traced a name
Online identity tracking has been central to the 29-year-old’s investigation.
– It started with a Snapchat name from a police report in Stockholm, says Ylva Lundgren.
The name dates back to the 29-year-old in western Sweden, so the tangle started to pile up.
– During the home search of the man, a mobile phone was found with photographs of most of the victims in the investigation.
– The normal thing if you take a screenshot of an image on Snapchat is for the other person to see you do it. But the defendant had an app installed that allowed him to secretly save, says Ylva Lundgren.
Promised money
The girls had been promised compensation, in most cases money, for the photos that were sent, fully or partially nude. But the 29-year-old did not send money.
Instead, the man returned with threats to further spread the images to the girl’s classmates, friends or family. If I didn’t get more pictures.
– He has taken care that the photos were taken so that the faces of the girls could be seen, says the prosecutor.
When the threatening message arrived, the girls reacted in different ways.
– Some blocked it immediately and did nothing else. Others sent more photos instead, which he requested. Some have sent many photos and even movies.
Many identities
The 29-year-old has used a long list of usernames on Snapchat.
– He has behaved in different ways like different people, says Ylva Lundgren.
The defendants have admitted much of what they are accused of.
– He gave some explanations during the interrogation, says Thomas Berner, who is the man’s lawyer.
The trial is scheduled to begin on September 23 and will last at least seven weeks. Many charges relate to the flagrant exploitation of children for sexual poses.
Rape of children
In two cases, the 29-year-old will be charged with child rape.
He is also accused of abusively photographing some adult women.
Only a few crime victims attend the hearing at Skaraborg District Court.
– Many will be questioned through a link from different parts of the country. If the victims have been less than 15 years old, we play child questioning in court. In some cases, where the man is admitted in his entirety and there is also other evidence, I have not invoked any questioning with the victim, says courtroom prosecutor Ylva Lundgren.
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