Swedish man accused of running child porn network in Thailand
A 23 year old Swedish man from Stockholm is being prosecuted for allegedly running a huge network selling pornographic images and videos of over 4,000 young girls and women in Thailand.
Swedish news outlet SVT Nyheter did not name the man, who is charged with serious child pornography offences and gross illegal invasion of privacy.
Yesterday, Sodertorn District Court in Sweden began one of the biggest cases of unlawful invasion of privacy Sweden has ever seen.
At least 4,000 victims – young Thai girls and women – were secretly recorded. The sexual pictures and videos were then sold via social media, often together with personal information about the victims.
The prosecutor Anneli Tirud Wallin said…
“They did not know that they were recorded and that the content was then sold and distributed. In several cases, information about the victims has been shared. Information such as which school they attend along with their profile picture on Facebook or Instagram.”
The prosecutor said the accused had caused “great damage.”
Swedish police reviewed 74,420 images and 19,976 videos in total. Most of the victims were not identified, but six cases who were identified were all under 18 years old.
Thai police revealed the case years ago and several people in connection – including those who bought the material – were arrested and sentenced, according to SVT Nyheter.
However, the Swedish man suspected to be behind the criminal network was not arrested until just over one year ago in Sweden and is now being prosecuted.
The plaintiff’s lawyer Henrik Olsson Liljia said the 23 year old admits some of the charges and denies others.
He is suspected to have earned at least 2 million kroner (over 6.7 million baht) from the network.
There is a Nordic police liaison stationed in Bangkok who receives tips regarding the sexual abuse of children in South East Asia in cases where perpetrators are from Scandinavian countries. Their email address is nlobangkok@nordlo.in.th
