Assessment recommends preventive detention for man accused of grooming 68 children

A psychiatric assessment recommends preventive detention for a 25-year-old man accused of grooming and sexually extorting 68 children online, DR reports. The man is on trial at Svendborg District Court and admits several of the charges.

He is accused of contacting children mainly through Snapchat and the video chat service OmeTV. The alleged offences took place over five years, and most of the children were between 11 and 14 at the time.

Prosecutors say the assessment describes the man as dangerous. Special prosecutor Brian Dybdahl said forensic psychiatrists consider preventive detention necessary. The assessment has not yet been reviewed by the Council of Forensic Medicine, described in court as the highest medical authority, so it is not yet known whether it will reach the same conclusion.

According to the indictment, the man threatened some children by saying he would kill himself, hack their parents’ bank accounts or share their images with family and friends unless they did what he asked. Several children allegedly harmed themselves, and in a few cases also abused other children.

The case began in April 2023, when North Zealand Police received a report. It was referred to Funen Police, which traced a Snapchat account to Funen using its username. Further reports followed.

Police searched the man’s phones in October 2024 and found videos and images of people affected by the case. In March 2025, officers searched his home and electronic devices and arrested him. He has been held in pre-trial detention since then.

Police have identified 27 of the 68 children, mainly through their social media usernames. Several children have been interviewed on video, while 12 are due to testify in court. Two adults, including a parent and an expert, will also give evidence.

Fifteen days have been set aside for the trial, with a verdict expected in mid-December.