A Swedish teenager has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for attempted murder, rape and aggravated assault — crimes carried out remotely via the internet, with victims in Germany and Australia.
The defendant, known as Chai, was 18 at the time of sentencing. He was between 15 and 17 when the offences were committed.
A Swedish district court found Chai guilty of two counts of attempted murder against a young person in Germany, as well as multiple sexual and violent offences against a teenage girl in Australia, among other charges.
The court determined that Chai was active in online networks known for the sadistic extortion of young and vulnerable people, coercing victims into creating sexually explicit material or engaging in acts of violence.
Jenny Östling, a senior public prosecutor at Sweden's national unit against international and organised crime, said the court had clearly understood the phenomenon of what she described as "nihilistic violent extremism" and the so-called Com — an umbrella term for a loosely connected online network engaged in cybercrime, extortion and violence.
"I'm really glad that they realise how serious this is and what it is," Östling said.
She noted that the sentence was among the longest possible in Sweden for someone of Chai's age. The conviction also established a significant legal precedent: that a person can be found guilty of violent offences committed entirely through remote means.
"That is a very important tool for us when we proceed [with] these kinds of cases," Östling said.
The crimes associated with such networks often cross international borders. Cases have been recorded in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia, with alleged victims across multiple jurisdictions. One globally known network of this type is referred to as "764."
According to researchers and lawyers familiar with these groups, material is frequently created and traded among participants to build status, gain access to closed servers and chatrooms, and maintain control over victims.
"These are young people recruiting other young people," said Bjørn Ihler, founder of the security firm Revontulet. "It is a youth phenomenon."
Chai's conviction is one of several cases resulting in significant prison terms for young men linked to this online ecosystem. In August, an American, Kyle Spitze, 27, was sentenced to 77 years in prison — described as the longest federal sentence yet imposed on a person the US government has labelled a "nihilistic violent extremist."
During the trial, Chai underwent a forensic psychiatric examination. The examination found he was not suffering from a serious mental disorder at the time the offences were committed.
His lawyer, Emily Tovedal, disputed the verdict. "The defence's view is that the court has made an error of judgment regarding a large proportion of the charges," she said.
Authorities internationally have increasingly raised the alarm about sadistic online exploitation of young people, citing warning signs that include self-harm and social isolation.
Östling warned that such networks are unlikely to diminish. "Sadly, I'm confident that … they will probably grow," she said. "And we will also be aware of more of them, because now we know what to look for."
