In one of the largest cases of its kind, Danish police have charged more than 1,000 individuals with sharing sexually explicit material online. On Monday, law enforcement officials announced a massive legal case stemming from two video clips and a photograph featuring two 15-year-olds. The activity is a violation of section 235 of the Danish criminal code, distribution of child pornography.
"We want to give out a warning to young people: think about what you're doing," Flemming Kjaerside, a police superintendent for Denmark's National Crime Center, told Bloomberg. "Don't ever share sex videos. It can have consequences for the victims and also for those distributing. We really hope that it is an eye opener for young people, that they should be careful in the digital world about what you should do."
The age range of the 1,004 people charged runs from 15 to the 20s, Bloomberg reported. Eight hundred are male. The material was shared on Facebook Messenger, according to a release from Danish officials. Some individuals charged "shared the video a couple of times," the release stated. "But there are also some who have done it hundreds of times." The material was shared in fall 2017.
The investigation started when Facebook alerted U.S. law enforcement authorities to the sexually explicit material. The tip was then passed along to Danish police, Euronews reported. It is the largest case Denmark has seen.
"It's a very big and complex matter that has taken a long time to investigate. Not least because of the large number of charged. We have taken the case very seriously as it has major implications for those involved when such material is spread," Lau Thygesen, an investigator on the case, said in a statement. "And it must be stopped."
Some of the people charged could face prison sentences if convicted.