A former village doctor is on trial in Norway accused of raping 87 women and filming the attacks in his office and their homes over 20 years, in what is being described as the biggest sexual abuse scandal in the country’s history.
Arne Bye, 55, is accused of abusing his position to obtain sexual contact with a total of 94 women, including two who were girls at the time of the alleged assaults.
The oldest woman was 67 years old when she was allegedly raped, while the The youngest alleged victims were 14 and 15 years old.
Bye, a former municipal superintendent, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and 35 counts of abuse of office, and faces up to 21 years in prison.
Police seized more than 6,000 hours of video material during their investigation, most of which were recordings of gynecological examinations performed on patients without their knowledge and which investigators described as “sensitive and detailed.”
According to the indictment, Bye allegedly inserted a “deodorant-like,” “bottle-like,” and cylindrical object into the women without there being any medical reason for doing so.
In shocking testimony at the Trøndelag court, one woman said the experience had been so painful “that I thought I was going to die.”
Woman number 18, as she is known during the trial, told the court on Wednesday that she had attended her GP’s office with a sore throat before the invasive test was carried out.
Arne Bye, 55, is accused of having abused his position to obtain sexual contact with a total of 94 women
Bye’s surgery, where most of the ‘exams’ were performed and where he installed cameras
The small town of barely 2,600 inhabitants has been shaken by the shocking case
Despite the nature of her ailment, she said she ended up being examined in her underwear at the bank, reportedly telling the court: “I thought he was my doctor, so I did what he told me.”
Each of the women described unpleasant and invasive experiences during gynecological exams, and many said Bye gave them an “abdominal massage.”
The indictment describes how events “occurred quickly and unexpectedly” during gynecological exams at Frosta’s doctor’s office.
The small town of just 2,600 people has been rocked by the shocking case, as Bye has been both a public figure and a doctor to hundreds of residents there for years.
During the lengthy trial, the court was shown graphic video evidence, all recorded by Bye during the examinations.
‘We have video recordings of the assault itself. In this sense, we find ourselves in a rather special evidentiary situation in the case, since a large part of the accusation is illustrated with video material, says the prosecutor,” said prosecutor Richard Haugen Lyng.
Bye claimed in court that he filmed the appointments because he feared lawsuits from patients, and claims he never watched the videos except in connection with the case.
According to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, video from the 18th woman’s case shows Bye setting up several cameras before beginning to examine her.
From the audio of the clip, NRK reports, it appears that Bye asks the woman if it hurts and at one point warns her that “this is going to hurt.”
Initially, Bye insisted to investigators that his examination of the 18th woman was not sexual in nature. But, taking the witness stand Wednesday, NRK reports that he partially admitted to the rape charge.
According to the indictment, Bye allegedly inserted a “deodorant” into several of the women.
Bye also allegedly used a cylindrical object in the examinations, without any medical reason for doing so.
The 19th woman on the witness stand during the trial said he told her several times to sit in the gynecologist’s chair, despite not having previously had any abdominal discomfort.
He reportedly said that Bye’s exams “took a long time” and that they had all been painful.
The woman’s daughter and sister are also said to be among the alleged victims in the case.
The first concerns about Bye were raised as early as 2006 by another doctor in the gynecology ward of the local hospital in nearby Levanger.
One of Bye’s patients, who was coming to the hospital for further treatment, reported that her doctor had massaged her genital area during an exam.
Police seized more than 6,000 hours of video footage during their investigation, most of which were recordings of gynecological examinations performed on patients without their knowledge.
Investigators described the hours of video as “sensitive and detailed.”
He reportedly said other patients had experienced the same thing, allegations Bye denied.
Police began their investigation into him in August 2022 after health authorities alerted them to possible criminal acts.
Bye was allowed to continue in his position until police charges were brought against him in 2023.
Despite the serious allegations against him, Bye has not been taken into custody, and officers said they will continue to monitor the situation, but there is currently no basis for his arrest. The trial continues.