Norwegian police charge man in 11-year hidden camera case involving over 70 people, Digi Mart USA News: Norwegian police say more than 70 people were filmed in secret by a hidden camera found concealed in a toilet holder inside an apartment.
The camera was discovered in January 2025 by a personal assistant working in the apartment under Norway’s user-directed personal assistance (BPA) service. Police say employees were secretly filmed in intimate situations for eleven years, with at least two cameras in use at the workplace.
The woman receiving the service is also a victim in the case.
Police say the man under investigation was in a long-term relationship with the service user and therefore had access to the apartment. Guests who visited the apartment may also have been affected by the secret filming.
His defense attorney, Ketil Magnus Berg, declined to comment on the case.
So far, police have identified 70 adults and two children on the video recordings, which were mainly made where the victim lived, though filming also took place elsewhere. Police prosecutor Aleksander Knygh told NRK that the material includes several thousand media files that have been reviewed and examined.
According to Knygh, the suspect admitted guilt in a preliminary interview and has cooperated with police. He is charged with sexually offensive behavior toward adults and children under 16.
Police also say he is charged with storing downloaded abuse material.
After the interview, police identified more victims and want to question the man again, so it is not yet clear how he will respond to the expanded charges. Police went to the apartment after the GoPro camera inside the bathroom was discovered.
Knygh said the camera was angled toward the toilet and hidden in a toilet holder with cut-out openings.
One person was arrested and charged. Police also searched the address and seized camera equipment, a mobile phone and hard drives.
The footage shows people on the toilet and people who are fully or partially undressed while changing or showering.
Knygh said the recordings were made over several years, likely from 2014 to January 2025. Police have found no grounds to suspect the material was distributed or that others helped the suspect with the recordings.
Police received help from Kripos in identifying the people in the footage, a time-consuming process.
So far, 49 adults and two children have victim status. Police say the victims were filmed in sexually offensive situations.
Not all 72 people have been classified as victims because some footage is outdated or difficult to date. Cases that were set aside have been appealed.
The victims are divided among three victim advocates. Attorney Dorthe Brubak Borgen represents 35 of them, all women who worked as personal assistants in the residence where the suspect secretly filmed.
Borgen said they found the situation deeply offensive, distressing and invasive, and that it is frightening that it could continue so long before being discovered by chance.
Borgen said most of the group were young women without relevant work experience or education at the time, making them vulnerable. Fourteen of the 35 cases were set aside due to the statute of limitations.
Borgen said the statute of limitations in such a case is two years, but the case has now been appealed. Her clients are waiting for a decision from the state prosecutor on whether those dismissals will be reversed.
The victim advocate argues that the video material should be viewed as one continuous matter and that the limitation period does not run until the final recording. Attorney Line Støen Thoresen, who represents one of the women who worked as a personal assistant, said her client was surprised to learn police had identified her and found the situation unpleasant.
Attorney Anne Marie Sundby, who represents the remaining victims, declined to comment.
