A 35-year-old Greek YouTuber has been arrested for physically, verbally and sexually exploiting and torturing people with disabilities and minors for financial gain.
According to the police, viewers of his social media channels would allegedly pay up to €200 during live streams to watch him perform acts of abuse on his victims, mainly individuals with physical and mental disabilities.
Many of the videos were broadcast live on YouTube, but the man was arrested in his house in Athens, where the videos were shot, on Tuesday while streaming another abusive video on TikTok.
Viewers of his channels could also commission via “donation” specific types of abuse, including torture or “challenges” to be conducted against victims, which ranged from verbal to physical and even sexual abuse.
In one live-streamed video, the 35-year-old appears to force underage girls to consume excessive amounts of alcohol and then coerce them into performing various sexual acts.
The 35-year-old is denying the accusations, claiming that the videos were staged and consensual in nature. He also claimed that he was “careful” when dealing with people with mental retardation.
Some of the victims were allegedly lured to the 35-year-old’s house on the promise of payment if they would participate in the videos.
The suspect is expected to be questioned by an investigative magistrate on Friday.
Kathimerini understands that the suspect, who went under the nickname Hayate, among others, is connected to the same online network of for-profit abuse as a 42-year-old who was arrested in November for similar activities.
