Police in Southwest Finland have released further details about the case of a young man suspected of secretly filming girls in a school dressing room in Turku, a crime that may have affected around 230 students.
The suspect, a former classroom assistant at St Olofsskolan, a Swedish-speaking lower secondary school for grades 7–9, is believed to have placed a tiny camera in the ceiling of the girls’ dressing room between December 2021 and the spring term of 2022. In 35 cases, the footage captured undressed children, leading investigators to classify these incidents as sexual exploitation of a child. Police also suspect production of pornographic material, even though no evidence has emerged that the videos were distributed.
Investigation traced suspect to Pargas
According to Detective Inspector Maria Sainio, the case began when a school cleaner discovered small holes in the ceiling. Police concluded that a camera had likely been hidden there and eventually tracked the suspect to the island municipality of Pargas. The suspect has “mostly” confessed to the crimes but has not provided a clear motive.
Police said that no filming occurred outside the identified period, and most of the recordings fall under offences that are now past the statute of limitations. However, the 35 sexual exploitation cases have no time limit for prosecution. The suspect was taken into custody but has since been released. Investigators are also examining a separate illegal filming case linked to the same individual, reported in May.
Authorities have confirmed that none of the videos were shared, but under Finnish law, the production of such material—even without distribution—qualifies as a criminal offence. Police have not disclosed the total amount of recorded material.
Turku to review hiring processes
The case has prompted the City of Turku to review its hiring and monitoring procedures for school staff. Deputy Mayor Elina Rantanen (Green), who oversees child and youth affairs, expressed regret and stressed that while incidents of this nature are rare, the city must strengthen preventive measures. Inspections of other school dressing and locker rooms have been carried out, though Rantanen noted that determined offenders may still find ways to act.
“Although it was not possible to prevent this incident, the person was found and will be held criminally liable. Schools in Finland are safe,” Rantanen said.
