Finland: Martial arts coach charged with 800 sexual crimes
A district court in central Finland today charged a 32-year-old Finnish male tae kwon do instructor of 799 sexual crimes, mostly against teenage girls.
Sami Greus, who taught tae kwon do mainly to girls and women, was charged with multiple cases of sexually abusing minors, rape and attempted rape from 1997 to 2005, Oulu District Attorney Paivi Markus said.
He has been in police custody since January.
“This is an unusual case in Finnish legal history,” Markus said. “The case is very large.”
Markus said the 12 victims were mostly aged 16 and 17 at the time of the alleged crimes.
Greus, a well-known trainer in Finland, has denied all the charges. If found guilty, he faces a maximum six-year prison sentence.
The case was expected to open in June in Oulu District Court, 370 miles north of Helsinki.
It likely will be held behind closed doors to protect the identities of the girls and women involved, Markus said.
