A Swedish teenager, known as Chai, has been sentenced to more than ten years in prison for attempted murder, rape and aggravated assault committed through online networks. The 18‑year‑old was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder against a young person in Germany and multiple sexual and violent offences against an Australian teenager. The crimes were carried out when Chai was between 15 and 17.
The district court described Chai as active in sadistic extortion networks that coerce young people into producing sexual material or engaging in violence. The judge noted that the offences were committed remotely via the internet, and that the court could convict for violent acts even when carried out online. The sentence is among the longest possible for someone of Chai’s age in Sweden.
Jenny Östling, a senior public prosecutor at Sweden’s national unit against international and organised crime, said the court understood the phenomenon of ‘nihilistic violent extremism’ and the Com, a loosely connected online network that engages in cybercrime, extortion and violence. She highlighted the importance of the sentence as a tool for future cases and warned that such sadistic extortion networks, including the globally known ‘764’, cross borders, affecting victims in the US, UK, Germany and Australia.
The case follows other high‑profile convictions, such as the 27‑year‑old American Kyle Spitze who received 77 years for similar offences. A forensic psychiatric examination found Chai was not suffering a serious mental disorder at the time of the crimes. Support services are available for victims in Australia, the UK and the US, with hotlines listed in the original report.
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