A Finnish court has sentenced a 20-year-old man to seven years in prison for operating a disturbing child exploitation network through Snapchat. Niko Johannes Pöysti targeted at least 15 girls across Finland, all between 12 and 15 years old, during a two-month period last autumn.
The Satakunta District Court found Pöysti guilty of 16 separate crimes including aggravated child rape, multiple counts of sexual abuse of children, and attempted sexual exploitation. The case reveals how predators exploit popular social media platforms to target vulnerable minors.
Pöysti approached underage girls on Snapchat, an application popular among teenagers. He quickly steered conversations toward sexual topics and pressured girls to send explicit photos and videos. He also sent sexual images of himself to the minors and described violent rape fantasies to one 13-year-old victim.
At the time of the crimes, the 19-year-old Pöysti falsely claimed to be a minor himself. The girls didn't know they were communicating with an adult man who was secretly saving all their images to his tablet device.
Finnish child protection experts note this case highlights the ongoing challenge of keeping children safe on social media platforms. Many parents remain unaware of the sophisticated methods predators use to groom minors through seemingly harmless applications.
The investigation began in mid-December when Pöysti was arrested for raping a child he had lured to a meeting. Police examining his phone discovered the extensive digital exploitation network. They found evidence Pöysti had attempted sexual conversations with at least 19 children.
During police interviews, Pöysti admitted asking girls for revealing photos but denied sending them explicit videos of himself. He claimed ignorance of the law and argued he wasn't responsible for verifying the ages of his chat partners. The court rejected this defense, noting Finnish law clearly places responsibility on adults in such situations.
The judge emphasized that Pöysti knew the girls were significantly younger than him but continued sexual conversations regardless. In some messages, he explicitly stated their young ages didn't bother him. The court determined he deliberately sought out much younger girls as potential sexual crime victims through the youth-oriented application.
Pöysti must pay his victims over 30,000 euros in compensation plus approximately 44,000 euros in legal costs to both victims and the state. The November 12th ruling remains subject to appeal.
This case comes amid growing concern in Nordic countries about online child exploitation. Finnish authorities have increased efforts to combat digital grooming while maintaining the delicate balance between privacy protection and criminal investigation. The sentence reflects Finland's strict approach to sexual crimes against children, though some victim advocates argue even seven years seems inadequate given the scale of harm caused.
The conviction serves as a stark reminder to parents across the Nordic region about the importance of monitoring children's online activities and having open conversations about digital safety.