Dutch police urge victims of 'international sextortion campaign' to come forward

Dutch police urge victims of 'international sextortion campaign' to come forward15 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAnna HolliganThe HaguePADutch police have issued a social media plea for victims of an alleged "international sextortion campaign" to come forward, warning that dozens of women and girls were coerced into degrading sexual acts on camera.Investigators say a 22-year-old Dutch man, posing online as a teenage girl, contacted victims on popular platforms and persuaded them to send explicit photos. Once he had the images, he allegedly blackmailed them into creating increasingly graphic, extreme and sadistic photos and videos – including performing sex acts on themselves and licking toilet seats – under threat of sharing the photos with friends, family or classmates.Prosecutors say the suspect, identified only as Damian A. under Dutch privacy laws, has confessed.He was arrested in January 2025 and went on trial this week in the city of Dordrecht. He is charged with online sexual assault and online rape. Prosecutors have requested a nine-year prison sentence plus psychological treatment. "I didn't think about the consequences. That you can hurt people," Dutch media reports quote him as saying. A verdict is expected in the coming weeks.The abuse was uncovered after a number of young women in the US reported what had happened to them, triggering a wider investigation. In one case in the Netherlands, a Dutch schoolgirl was told to skip class and send a naked photo within 10 minutes, or her images would be distributed to her peers.Police say Damian A. made their lives "a living hell".Some victims were forced to hold signs or write the phrase "Owned by Turpien" – the alias the Dutch suspect is accused of using – on their bodies, effectively branding them in the pictures. Police say the images were then sold on other platforms, further spreading the abuse. He also allegedly shared the personal data....