Police in Finland are investigating a case of illegal secret filming and child sexual exploitation involving over 200 girls at a Swedish-language school in Turku. According to the Southwestern Finland Police Department, the suspect is a young man who worked as a classroom assistant at St Olofsskolan, a lower secondary school for Swedish-speaking pupils in grades 7 to 9.
Secret filming at St Olofsskolan
Authorities say the man placed a hidden video camera in a girls’ dressing room and recorded footage between December 2021 and spring 2022. Around 230 girls were filmed without their knowledge. In 35 of these cases, police determined that the videos showed children in a state of undress that constituted sexual exploitation under Finnish law.
Detective Inspector Maria Sainio confirmed that these 35 instances will be pursued without a statute of limitations, while other cases cannot proceed due to time limits established in Finnish criminal law. Police stated that no evidence of secret filming has emerged outside of the timeframe under investigation.
Investigation and legal implications
The suspect was initially taken into custody but has since been released. While investigators found no indication that the videos were distributed, the suspect may still face charges related to the production of pornographic material, which in Finnish law includes illegal image creation.
In a related development, the same individual is also under investigation for a second case of illegal filming, reported to authorities in May 2025.
School and municipal response
The school administration and local officials have so far declined to comment. Letters informing the affected pupils and their families were sent earlier this month. Yle’s Swedish-language bureau reported that Lilian Kjellman, head of Swedish-language education in Turku, and St Olofsskolan’s rector Krister Karlsson, both referred inquiries to the police.
Privacy and safeguarding concerns
The case has raised serious concerns over safeguarding measures in Finnish schools, particularly for minority language institutions such as Swedish-language schools. While Finnish law includes clear protections against image-based abuse, the delay in detection and notification may prompt calls for more rigorous privacy controls, surveillance oversight, and vetting procedures for school staff.
Police said they are in direct contact with victims and their families in the 35 criminal cases still under investigation. Further developments are expected as the legal process continues.
