BI business school lecturer charged with ordering child sexual abuse

A lecturer at Norway’s BI Norwegian Business School has been formally charged with paying for and directing the live-streamed sexual abuse of children under 14, prosecutors confirmed Friday. The man denies the allegations but faces up to 21 years in prison if convicted.

According to the indictment, obtained by Dagbladet, the 48-year-old is accused of facilitating multiple abuses between 2018 and 2021, including:

• One count of complicity in sexual intercourse with a child under 14, plus two attempted counts
• Two counts of complicity in aggravated sexual acts with a child under 14
• Three counts of procuring sexual acts by exploiting a vulnerable minor under 18, plus two attempted counts

Prosecutors allege the man paid facilitators—primarily in the Philippines—to abuse at least six children while streaming the acts to him via Skype. Investigators describe the crimes as “direct-order live-streamed abuse” (DOBO), where the defendant allegedly gave detailed instructions, including demands for oral sex, penetration with objects, and forcing children to engage in sexualized acts involving urine.

“Several of these acts qualify as aggravated rape of children under 14, carrying a maximum sentence of 21 years,” said Gjermund Hanssen, the lead prosecutor from Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos). The indictment also covers possession of 589 images and 432 videos depicting child abuse, collected between April and June 2025.

The defendant’s lawyer, Morten Engesbak, confirmed his client admits to accessing abusive material but “denies criminal liability for the remaining charges.” BI Norwegian Business School, which operates campuses in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger, terminated the lecturer’s employment. “For privacy reasons, we will not comment further,” a spokesperson said.

Kripos noted that while some victims and facilitators—including one currently imprisoned in the Philippines—have been identified, “not all children or accomplices could be traced.” The agency continues to collaborate with international partners to uncover further offenders and victims.

The trial is scheduled to begin on May 4 in Oslo District Court, with seven days allocated for proceedings. The defendant has been in pretrial detention since his arrest in June 2025.