Police in Bergen who are leading Norway’s large investigation into online sexual attacks on children called ‘Dark Room’ announced Tuesday that they’ve opened 33 new cases in the past six months, bringing the total of child victims to at least 300. Several are babies who police claim have been subjected to what they consider torture.

The cases center on both physical sexual assaults of children and infants or live-streaming of sexual assaults on children living abroad. Many of them involve children in the Philippines.

Police said they had all reason to believe the number of cases will continue to rise. “Several of the children are babies, and many have been seriously abused,” investigation leader Hilde Reikrås told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). “It seems like the use of webcams creates some distance that make the attackers even more brutal.”

The cases are spread from north to south in Norway, plus two cases in Denmark and Sweden. The number of defendants revealed to have taken part in network that involves assaults, chatting up children or sharing photographs of children has risen to 84. All are men, most of whom are charged with sharing, producing or storing material showing sexual assaults on children.

newsinenglish.no staff