Convicted of multiple sexual offences, self-proclaimed “prophet” of a religious sect behaved aggressively at his wife’s daycare

An unnamed man, described as a “prophet” of a religious sect and already convicted of multiple sexual and violent crimes, behaved aggressively at his wife’s daycare in southern Finland in late 2021, according to court documents.

The incident occurred at a group daycare in a municipality in the Hämeenlinna region, where the man’s wife had run the facility for seven and a half years. In December 2021 the local council removed the daycare from its list of approved private service providers, citing risks to children and families. The council stated that the daycare’s operating permit could no longer be maintained.

Earlier that month, a parent had called emergency services after the man became aggressive during a handover of a child’s belongings. The emergency call was forwarded to the council’s social services. The council said one of its employees had been verbally dismissed in front of the children, prompting parents to withdraw their children. At least one parent reported that the children were frightened by the confrontation.

By the end of 2021 the daycare had only 13 children with service-voucher agreements and could no longer meet staffing requirements. The council also cited concerns about the presence of underage family members in the daycare and the man’s unsupervised work shifts—he had reportedly worked 25 shifts in 2021 without a contract or relevant training.

The man was later convicted in December 2025 of multiple sexual offences, two assaults and extortion, receiving an unconditional prison sentence of three years and four months. The crimes took place in 2021 and 2022 in the Hämeenlinna area. He was also ordered to pay tens of thousands of euros in compensation to victims. The man has appealed the verdict to a higher court.

The woman, who ran the daycare, filed a damages claim against the council in the Hämeenlinna District Court, seeking more than €150,000 in lost income, €20,000 for reputational harm and €4,000 for emotional suffering. The council’s decision to remove the daycare was later overturned on procedural grounds by the Hämeenlinna Administrative Court in 2023 because the woman had not been heard before the decision.

The council maintained that the daycare’s operating permit should have been revoked regardless of the procedural error, as parents had already decided to withdraw their children by late 2021.