Dutch police have issued a social media plea for victims of an alleged “international sextortion campaign” to come forward, warning that dozens of women and girls were coerced into degrading sexual acts on camera.

Investigators say a 22-year-old Dutch man, posing online as a teenage girl, contacted victims on popular platforms and persuaded them to send explicit photos.

Once he had the images, he allegedly blackmailed them into creating increasingly graphic, extreme and sadistic photos and videos – including performing sex acts on themselves and licking toilet seats – under threat of sharing the photos with friends, family or classmates.

Prosecutors say the suspect, identified only as Damian A. under Dutch privacy laws, has confessed.

He was arrested in January 2025 and went on trial this week in the city of Dordrecht.

He is charged with online sexual assault and online rape. Prosecutors have requested a nine-year prison sentence plus psychological treatment.

“I didn’t think about the consequences. That you can hurt people,” Dutch media reports quote him as saying.

A verdict is expected in the coming weeks.

The abuse was uncovered after a number of young women in the US reported what had happened to them, triggering a wider investigation.

In one case in the Netherlands, a Dutch schoolgirl was told to skip class and send a naked photo within 10 minutes, or her images would be distributed to her peers.

Police say Damian A. made their lives “a living hell”.

Some victims were forced to hold signs or write the phrase “Owned by Turpien” – the alias the Dutch suspect is accused of using – on their bodies, effectively branding them in the pictures.

Police say the images were then sold on other platforms, further spreading the abuse. He also allegedly shared the personal data.

So far, Dutch authorities have identified more than 50 victims in countries including the Netherlands, the UK, the US, Canada, Germany and Montenegro, but they fear the true number is far higher.

“We are very worried because what these girls have had to endure is so extreme and so intense, and we know that there are more girls but we don’t know who they are,” said Milou van der Kolk of the Rotterdam Police Sexual Crimes Team.

The Dutch campaign aims to identify additional victims, reassure survivors that the suspect is in custody and cannot contact them, and encourage parents to talk to their children about the risks of sharing intimate images online. Posts include links and phone numbers for help and support.

Police say victims of online sexual abuse “feel that they are alone in the world, suffer stress and see no way out”.

Professional victim support is essential and “can sometimes even be a matter of life and death” due to the shame, intense fear, despair and constant pressure being so overwhelming.

The case underlines how a young man with a smartphone can effectively imprison girls in their bedrooms, turning social media into a site of intimidation, abuse and control, while the adults around them remain unaware.

Police have also appealed to anyone who bought or shared the images to delete them immediately, warning that “there will be a digital paper trail”.

Sextortion is a fast‑growing crime. In the Netherlands alone, police recorded about 3,000 cases in 2025 – a 46% increase on the previous year.

If you have been the victim of online abuse, you can look for sources of support at BBC Action Line.