7-year prison sentence for man who abused underage girls on Snapchat

The 27-year-old faced charges of rape, inciting sexual acts, violation of sexual integrity, possession of images of child sexual abuse, cyber solicitation and grooming. In addition to the custodial sentence he will also have to pay the victims tens of thousands of euros in damages.

The court ruling spoke of "totally reprehensible acts" and the fact that the man again sought contact with minors while he was already under electronic surveillance in anticipation of his trial was also heavily condemned.

The defendant has entered therapy, but the court considered that insufficient to ensure that he would not re-offend.

Not so innocent game on Snapchat

Using a game on messaging app Snapchat, the man tried to obtain nude images of some 40 underage girls. Participants in the game have to complete tasks to reach a higher level.

It all started pretty innocently by sending a picture of, say, your arm or your face, but gradually the assignments became more sexual. He then asked girls to take nude pictures or perform sexual acts on themselves.

The victims were also put under pressure. If they did not want to comply, he threatened to come to their homes or make previously sent images public.

In the course of an investigation, some 40 victims in Belgium and the Netherlands came into view, but not all could be identified. Some of the girls were as young as 10. The then 26-year-old man lied about his age and said that he too was a minor.

Physical assault happens

It did not stop with online games and threats. "The accused agreed to meet a vulnerable 14-year-old victim. In late 2020 he promised her four packets of cigarettes and had then come to the youth facility where she was staying. He forced her to have unsafe sex in a vehicle in the car park in exchange for the cigarettes," the prosecutor said.

He returned to the youth facility several months later to give her sex toys. She was forced to use them and take pictures of them. Out of fear, the girl obeyed and provided him with photos.

After the girl worked up the courage to report it, the accused was arrested in the summer of 2021. He spent about five weeks in jail and was then allowed to serve his pre-trial detention at home equipped with an electronic tag. It was not long before the game on Snapchat started again and he requested nude photos.