A man accused of sexually abusing 361 children aged between nine and 15 through social media, including Snapchat, appeared before a Finnish court on Monday.
According to prosecutors, the main charges include aggravated sexual offences against minors, sexual offences against minors and aggravated dissemination of sexual images depicting children.
The first day of proceedings took place in public at the Pirkanmaa District Court in Tampere, north-west of Helsinki.
The trial will continue behind closed doors from Tuesday due to the sensitive nature of the case.
Alleged offences between 2019 and 2022
The man is accused of committing a series of sexual offences between 2019 and 2022.
According to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, the alleged victims were boys living across Finland.
In December 2025, Finnish police announced they were investigating a 27-year-old man suspected of 364 child sexual offences.
In June, prosecutors decided not to pursue charges in three of the cases, reducing the total number of alleged victims to 361.
Thousands of images and videos found
Police said thousands of videos and photographs of unidentified children were discovered on the man's mobile phone in 2022 when officers seized the device during a separate criminal investigation.
Investigators allege that the man contacted children through Snapchat and asked them to take and send photographs or videos of themselves, either naked or partially clothed.
Police also allege that he encouraged the children to engage in sexual acts.
The suspect partially admitted the offences during the investigation.
Trial expected to continue for months
With around 45 hearing days scheduled, the proceedings are expected to continue at least until the end of this year, according to the court.
