The police arrested a 29-year-old Croatian citizen from the area of western Croatia on suspicion of repeatedly sexually abusing a child and distributing child sexual abuse materials via Internet platforms and applications with end-to-end (E2E) encryption.
The investigation was carried out by police officers of the Primorsko-Goranska Police Department and the Cybersecurity Service of the Police Directorate, in cooperation with the Australian police (Argos – Child Abuse and Sexual Crime Group, Queensland Police Service) and Europol (AP TWINS), reports HRT.
A well-founded suspicion has been established that the male suspect sexually abused a younger female child in the area of the county in the west of Croatia for a long period of time, to whom he previously made available the contents of sexual abuse of children and sexually harassed her multiple times.
With rapid international cooperation, thanks to information from the Australian police and Europol, the Croatian police identified the suspect and provided protection to the victim.
It was also established that the perpetrator organized and administered a group with more than 250 members from different countries, who exchanged child pornography content. A search of devices and media for storing digital data found more than 250 photos and videos, and at least 30 victims were identified – about 20 in Croatia and a dozen abroad.
The police allege that the man made sexual abuse materials available to the child-victim, encouraged him to communicate explicitly and recorded the content without the child’s knowledge. Some children also communicated with the perpetrator during classes at school.
The investigation continues to identify all potential victims and collect additional digital evidence.
The police appeal to parents to monitor their children’s online activities and to report any suspicion of abuse via the Red Button website or directly to the police.
(TYPE/Source: Fena/Photo: Illustration/MUP of the Republic of Croatia)
