Oulu man charged with nearly 800 sex crimes

Taekwon-do teacher alleged to have had 12 victims

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An Oulu man born in 1973 is to go on trial next month, accused of an exceptionally large number of sex crimes involving 12 alleged victims.
      The suspect is charged with no less than 799 illegal acts. Prosecutors are calling for a lengthy prison sentence against the man, a renowned teacher of taekwon-do martial arts in the Oulu area. Most of the alleged victims are reported to have been his pupils.
      Prosecutors say that the acts of child molestation took place over a period of more than eight years - between the autumn of 1997 and late last year.
      The indictment charges him with crimes including sexual molestation children, attempted rape, and rape.
     
The defendant denies that there was any pressure or sexual exploitation involved in the relationships. He has been held in custody ever since January, and much of his property has been seized to assure the payment of possible compensatory damages.
      The youngest of the children were 14 and 15 years. However, most of the accusations involve chldren who were 16 and 17 years old when the alleged crimes took place. Charges of child molestation apply only if the victim is under the age of 16.
      The case is exceptional, considering the large number of alleged victims, the number of acts, and the long period of time in which they are said to have been committed.
      The most recent comparable case involves paedophilia in Thailand. In December, Kouvola District Court sentenced a Kuusankoski man more than 40 years old to 11 years of imprisonment.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Oulu man suspected of numerous cases of sexual molestation of children (3.5.)

Helsingin Sanomat