Polish man arrested following undercover CNN investigation into online rape networks

By Saskya Vandoorne, Niamh Kennedy, Kara Fox, Anna Odzeniak, CNN

(CNN) — Polish authorities have arrested a man in connection with the alleged rape of an “unknowing victim” that was recorded and shared online, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin said Thursday.

The arrest follows an undercover investigation by CNN into online networks of men teaching each other how to drug and rape their partners.

Polish media outlets have identified the man arrested as “Piotr,” the pseudonym given to the Polish man at the center of CNN’s investigation.

Marek Zych, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office, would not confirm the suspect’s name to CNN but did confirm an individual had been detained on rape charges and “has been remanded in custody for three months.”

The man was charged with offenses under Article 197 of the Polish Criminal Code, which includes “an aggravated form of rape where the victim is vulnerable or unable to resist.”

The prosecutor’s office said the man had “admitted to the charges brought against him” but it didn’t provide any information regarding the next steps in proceedings.

In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said the man faces a potential prison sentence of between 3 and 20 years if convicted.

As part of their investigation, CNN journalists Saskya Vandoorne and Niamh Kennedy created undercover profiles on porn websites and group chats where some users share videos of sex acts being carried out on women who appear to be unconscious.

Piotr was one of nearly 1,000 users they found in a private Telegram group dedicated to sharing advice on the drugging and rape of partners.

He exchanged messages with Vandoorne’s undercover persona sharing what he said were nonconsensual, intimate images of his wife. CNN traveled to a town in Poland to confirm the man’s identity.

CNN reached out to Polish police about its findings last month.

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