A 20-year-old man was given a 30-day suspended prison sentence at a Randers court yesterday for sharing a widely-viewed video on Facebook featuring under-18s involved in sexual activity.
The case is the first of nine being tried over the next week that will help set a precedent for a crime that 1,000 young people in Denmark have been charged with.
As a result of the conviction, it is believed the man will have a criminal record for at least two years and also spend at least ten years on the child offence registry – which will bar them from working in jobs relating to children.
READ MORE: Over a thousand Danish youths charged for sharing sex video
Court ruling
The prosecution had sought a 60-day prison sentence on the basis that the man had shared pornographic material involving a minor (under-18s), but the court acknowledged his young age and co-operation. The accused man had asked for the complete dismissal of the case.
The court awarded 10,000 kroner in compensation to a 15-year-old girl seen in the video, but nothing to a similarly-aged boy involved.
National discussion
All of the charges in the nine cases stem from the sharing of several sex videos on social media, between 2015 and 2017, which has generated a vibrant public discussion in Denmark.
Some have argued that the defendants are too young to be countable for the charges and that the wide dissemination of the material means blame cannot rest with any specific individual.
Others have argued that the defendants’ actions must be viewed as a severe crime, which demands public prosecution and a prison sentence. They contend that the charge of sharing child pornography, whether on social media or other public platforms, requires punitive action to prevent events such as this occurring in the future.
An ongoing process
The second of nine test trials will take place today. The complexity of the case means that each test trial deals with a case that differs slightly in the context of the defendants’ actions.
The overall result will be a set of legal parameters that will define the limits of the actions brought against future defendants charged with a similar offence.
