Police investigate multiple suspects in patient rape case at Finnish health service

Finnish police are investigating several men, including an employee of the Pohde welfare region, on suspicion of raping a patient, the Kaleva newspaper reports. The scope of the inquiry has expanded beyond the initial single suspect.

According to the report, the North Ostrobothnia Welfare Region (Pohde) filed a police request for investigation in November 2024 after suspecting one of its employees of engaging in a sexual relationship with a patient.

Tero Luukkonen, the lead investigator and detective chief inspector with Oulu Police, told Kaleva that the suspicion of rape now extends to multiple individuals uncovered during the investigation.

“Several other men are now suspected of rape,” Luukkonen stated, declining to specify the exact number. All suspects are male, and the alleged victim is the same in each case. The suspected offenses occurred over roughly a one-year period between 2023 and 2024.

Police confirmed that one suspect had worked for the welfare region, while the others were not employees of Pohde.