Cohabitants filmed child abuse in Finnmark

violence child abuse stepdaughtersChild abuse. Photo: pixabay.com

Cohabitants filmed child abuse in Finnmark

A cohabiting couple in Finnmark has been charged with aggravated rape after carrying out abuse against a child below school age – and filming the child abuse.

 

The couple was arrested as part of a major action against a network who were exchanging abuse images in March. They were at the time charged with rape, but the accusation has now been extended to «aggravated rape of children under 14 years of age», according to Sør-Varanger Avis. They face up to 21 years in prison, the maximum possible according to the law.

The evidence includes a film that the couple has shot themselves. It supposedly shows the pair performing abuse against a child which is not their own, writes Dagbladet. According to the Sør-Varanger Newspaper, the child was 3 years old when the rape took place.

Acknowledges abuse

The accused man has acknowledged the abuse during interrogation and in court and the woman has acknowledged the acts for which she is charged. According to Dagbladet, she perceives that she was in a constraint and threat situation.

– We will consider appealing, but we are waiting for the psychiatric report to come this week, states Lawyer Jørn Are Gaski, who is part of the judicial team representing the woman, to Dagbladet.

The cohabitant couple has two children of their own, but the court is not aware that they have committed abuse against either of them. Their children are taken care of by the child welfare office.

Not indicted yet

The couple has been detained since the action on March 21st, and in East Finnmark District Court on Thursday, detention was extended until the main hearing on October 23rd.

It’s a bit unusual that the case is already pre-announced, as there is currently no charge against the couple. The reason for this is that the investigation is still ongoing.

Large police action in March

The police acted against 13 different addresses in Finnmark and the couple was arrested during the review of the data that was impounded in the action.

In addition to the two, 15 persons are charged for downloading data material that shows abuse and sexual representations of children under the age of 14.

A total of 326 devices containing 112 terabytes of data were seized. In addition to said devices, phones, memory sticks and other types of seizures were made, the police stated in a press release in April.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today