Swedish court jails teenager for online attempted murder, rape

Prosecutor calls ruling a key tool against remote online violence

A Swedish district court has sentenced an 18-year-old known as Chai to more than 10 years in prison for attempted murder, rape, and aggravated assault committed online, according to court findings reported by the Guardian. The teenager, who was between 15 and 17 when the offences were committed, was convicted of two counts of attempted murder against a young person in Germany and multiple sexual and violent offences against an Australian teenager.

The court found Chai had been active in online networks notorious for the sadistic extortion of young and vulnerable people and for the youth of those involved. Victims in such networks are coerced into creating sexually explicit material or engaging in acts of violence; material is often traded among participants to build status and control and as a means of accessing closed servers and chatrooms, according to lawyers and researchers cited in the Guardian’s reporting.

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 “nihilistic violent extremism” and the Com — an umbrella term for a loosely connected online network that engages in cybercrime, extortion and violence. “I’m really glad that they realise how serious this is and what it is,” she said.

Östling noted that the sentence was among the longest possible in Sweden for someone of Chai’s age. She also pointed to the court’s finding that violent offences committed remotely via the internet can be prosecuted as a significant development. “That is a very important tool for us when we proceed with these kinds of cases,” she said.

The crimes committed by those involved in such networks often cross borders, with cases in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia, and alleged victims in multiple jurisdictions. One globally known network is referred to as “764.”

“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 comes after several other significant prison sentences for involvement in the same ecosystem. In August, American Kyle Spitze, 27, was sentenced in the United States to 77 years in prison — the longest federal sentence yet imposed on someone the US government has labelled a “nihilistic violent extremist.”

During Chai’s trial, a forensic psychiatric examination found that he was not suffering from a serious mental disorder when the offences occurred. His lawyer, Emily Tovedal, told the Guardian: “The defence’s view is that the court has made an error of judgment regarding a large proportion of the charges.”

Authorities internationally have raised alarms about the sadistic online exploitation of young people, pointing to potential warning signs including self-harm and isolation. “Sadly, I’m confident that … they will probably grow,” Östling said of these networks. “And we will also be aware of more of them, because now we know what to look for.”

Support services cited in the Guardian’s reporting include Beyond Blue at 1300 22 4636, Lifeline at 13 11 14, and MensLine at 1300 789 978 in Australia; the charity Mind at 0300 123 3393 and Childline at 0800 1111 in the United Kingdom; and Mental Health America at 988 or 988lifeline.org in the United States.