The Southern Ostrobothnia District Court has convicted four men on charges of aggravated sexual offenses against children and for their involvement in a large-scale international child sex abuse ring.
Visa Matti Marttila, a former church councillor deemed by the court to be the leader of the ring, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in prison.
The charges included two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, aggravated rape, and possession and dissemination of child pornography.
The court heard that Marttila is a former member of the South Ostrobothnian church council and that he previously worked in a parish group responsible for child and youth activities. He also worked as an entrepreneur in the tourism industry in Ostrobothnia and Lapland, among other regions.
Court gives verdict on three other defendants
A second man involved in the paedophile ring was sentenced to four years in prison, while another received a suspended sentence of one year and two months. A fourth man involved in the sexual offences received a three-month suspended sentence.
The victims were all boys aged between five and 15 when the crimes took place. The crimes were committed between 2004 and 2014.
District prosecutor Jaana Nyrhinen said she the prosecution will consider appealing the sentences. The prosecution had asked for Marttila to be sentenced to ten years in prison. For the second suspect, the prosecution had asked for a 5-year sentence.
The suspects operated as part of a wider international paedophile ring that exploited children in nearly twenty countries, filming their crimes and sharing the material with each other.