Thousands Charged For Sharing Underage Sex Video On Facebook Messenger

Police in Denmark meted out preliminary charges to 1,004 people including children and young adults Monday for distributing a video and photos of two underage people having sex, according to German public broadcaster DW.

The video was shared on the Facebook Messenger platform and depicted two 15-year-olds having sex. The age of consent in Denmark is 15, but police say sharing the video and photos could constitute distributing child pornography. The preliminary charges are a step down from formal charges, according to the Associated Press.

Police said that a handful of the people being charged shared the video hundreds of times — the video and photos were distributed. The charges were the result of an investigation codenamed Umbrella, according to DW, and was conducted by several departments of the Danish government. Charges were leveled against 300 people from Copenhagen, Denmark, and 300 people from the North Zealand region of the country.

“This is a very large and complex case that has taken a long time to investigate, not least because of the large number of suspects,” North Zealand police Chief Superintendent Lau Thygesen told DW. “We have taken the case very seriously since it has serious consequences for those involved when material of this type is distributed. And that must be stopped.”

Facebook originally flagged the video, as it does with any illicit content, and alerted U.S. authorities who in turn shared the information with Interpol and Danish authorities.

“People who send this around should ask themselves is this morally acceptable,” Flemming Kjaerside, a superintendent with Denmark's National Crime Center told the AP.

The photos and videos have appeared to be made in 2015, but police did not give details on the victims. If convicted, suspects face jail time, fines and being banned from working with children.