The Southwest Finland District Court has sentenced a 50-year-old man to 12 years in prison for aggravated child sex abuse offences that targeted several victims.
On Monday the court handed down five different verdicts following a closed-door trial.
According to a report released by the court, the man was found guilty of aggravated child sexual abuse and aggravated rape committed in Turku and other parts of Finland between 2014 and 2019 and aggravated rape of a child between May and June of this year.
Photos and video recording of sex acts
In the most egregious case, the man was found to have had sexual intercourse with a child on at least 100 occasions and over a period of several years. The sex acts were photographed and recorded on video and the victim was someone close to the defendant.
The court ruled that the offence was aggravated because it caused harm to the victim because of the child’s age and level of development. The court also found that the child was in a dependent position in relation to the defendant and was also helpless, a factor that met the criteria for the definition of rape.
Crimes also committed abroad
In another ruling, the same defendant was found guilty of aggravated child sex abuse committed abroad in 2008 and for coercing a victim into sexual activity in 2011, an offence that was also committed abroad.
In another verdict, the man was found guilty of disseminating indecent images in 2015. The court ordered that the identities of the victims and their guardians as well as court documents be kept secret for 60 years. The court judgments and legal provisions were not sealed.
The defendant was sentenced to pay damages to the victims and to serve 12 years in prison.