A Swedish man who had been found guilty of raping young girls, including a Canadian, based on threatening and coercive online interactions, has lost his appeal.
Prosecutor Annika Wennerstrom says the court of appeals in Stockholm has upheld the conviction against Bjorn Samstrom and his 10-year sentence.
The court found him guilty of online sexual offences against 27 children between 2015 and early 2017 and heard he had threatened to post photos of his victims on porn sites or kill their relatives unless they performed for him.
The prosecution said one of the convictions was linked to a Canadian girl who was 13 at the time.
Samstrom has admitted making contact with the children, but claimed he could not recall asking them to perform for him.
His conviction last November marked the sixth time he was convicted of offences involving forcing minors to perform sexual acts.
Wennerstrom said the conviction is the first of its type in Sweden and sets a new precedent for sex crimes committed via the internet..
