FINLAND: A Finnish man suspected of sexually abusing at least 445 Thai boys over the last 15 years has been detained, Finnish police said yesterday, calling the case the country's biggest ever of its kind.
The man, born in 1962, was caught in January after returning from his 26th trip to Thailand since 1989, police said. The tip-off for the case, now being examined by a prosecutor, first came from a Belgian investigation last autumn.
"In a home search we found his diary notes, which also contained statistics on how many boys he had abused per trip. He has kept a cumulative figure and it ends at about 445," said Det Supt Lars Henriksson from Finland's National Bureau of Investigation.
"[We also found] extensive child pornography material which he had made for his own use," Det Supt Henriksson said, adding that police had detained the man before he could make diary notes or update his statistics from the 26th trip.
Det Chief Insp Mika Ihaksinen, who headed the investigation, said there was pornographic video material of the suspect with Thai boys for the past six years. All of the boys involved were between 10 and 13-years-old.
Det Chief Insp Ihaksinen said the case was Finland's biggest ever. He said the man had already confessed and could face a 10-year jail sentence.
Hannele Selin-Hakala, prosecutor in the case, said she had not yet decided what charges would be brought against the man.
- (Reuters)