A Stockholm sports trainer has been jailed for three years for a string of sex attacks against boys. The 22-year-old man was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and child rape against one boy and one count of sexual assault against another. He was also convicted of a further 16 additional counts of sexual harassment.
All the boys in question were aged between 11 and 16, six of who met the man at the sports club in southern Stockholm where he worked. The remaining victims were contacted through social networking sites, such as MSN, Facebook and Play Ahead.
The court heard how one boy, aged 12, was threatened with violence until he performed oral sex on the man. The sexual harassment charges were brought after the trainer sent boys blue videos over the internet and asked them to perform lewd acts.
The man was arrested last year after he was reported by the sports club and some of the youngsters’ parents. Pia Tengvall, the lawyer who represented the boys in court, said that she fears many more children may have been targeted but are afraid to come forward.
“It is not unlikely that there are a number of unreported cases – he’s been working for several years,” she said in a report by The Local. “The evidence was strong and these young boys have given very credible statements,” she added.
The man was also ordered to pay hefty fines to all of his victims, including SEK 180,000 (USD 23,913) in damages to the boy he raped. Tengvall said she pushed for more money for the worst affected boy as the man had abused his position of trust as a trainer.
“We’re talking about very young boys. He had a special position as a leader in this club and many of the guys looked up to him. He was very well-liked,” she said.
The man pleaded guilty to almost all of the charges and claimed during police questioning that he “felt a sexual attraction to younger boys which was hard to control.”