German prosecutors have charged a 46-year-old man on suspicion of serious sexual abuse of children via live streaming.
The man, from the district of Heidenheim in southwestern Germany, is alleged to have paid female accomplices in the Philippines to carry out sexual abuse against girls aged between four and 13 in six instances, the Cybercrime Centre of the Karlsruhe Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday.
Videos of the sexual abuse were reportedly streamed live to the man, while he directed the sexual acts on the girls via a chat function.
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The charges against the defendant include incitement to commit serious sexual abuse against children, as well as supplying child pornography to another person and the possession of child and youth pornography, between 2013 and 2019.
The alleged crimes were uncovered with the help of the US Department of Homeland Security, which had previously broken up a paedophile network in the Philippines.
The perpetrators are said to have made money by broadcasting the abuse acts online for payment.
The five children abused by the network were taken into care by the Philippine authorities, it was reported.