Tampere man convicted of raping 13-year-old in interim ruling as child abuse case exceeds 30 victims

A 20-year-old man from Tampere has been found to have committed dozens of sexual offenses against 33 children under the age of 16, with the youngest victim just 10 years old at the time of the crimes, Pirkanmaa District Court ruled in an interim judgment on Thursday.

The court determined the man lured victims via social media into sending explicit material, which he then used for blackmail. He met three victims in person, one of whom he raped in a bathroom inside an apartment building. During the assault, he strangled the 13-year-old victim after promising to delete compromising images in exchange for sexual acts.

The same location was used in a prior incident a year earlier, where the man sexually assaulted another 13-year-old. A third victim, also 13, was touched inappropriately and later threatened when they refused a second meeting.

The man’s crimes followed a consistent pattern: he contacted children through social platforms, solicited explicit content, and extorted them with threats—including claims he would send “nationalists” or “skinheads” after them. He also offered money, alcohol, or cigarettes in exchange for meetings or images.

Charged with 64 offenses, the court upheld the majority, including sexual abuse of children, illegal threats, distribution of child sexual abuse material, and aggravated assault. Only one charge of illegal threats was dismissed. Some counts were consolidated or partially rejected.

A psychiatric evaluation, ordered in February, remains pending. The final sentencing will proceed once the assessment is complete. The interim ruling is not yet legally binding, and victim compensation claims—totaling tens of thousands of euros—are still under consideration.

Case documents and victim identities have been sealed for 60 years. Authorities have not ruled out additional victims, as the convicted man admitted to many of the acts.