Groningen court hears emotional victim testimonies as sextortion suspect denies charges

Mark S., a 32-year-old man from Borculo suspected of large-scale sextortion, has denied allegations that he sexually extorted his former girlfriend. Authorities discovered 34 sexually explicit videos of her on his computer, which the Public Prosecution Service (OM) says she sent to an account linked to him.

Authorities suspect the man from Borculo of rape, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and extorting dozens of victims by threatening to distribute their nude images. He allegedly posed as different people through multiple online accounts.

The victim filed a report of sextortion with the police in 2012, while she was still in a relationship with S. The OM states that he impersonated a man named Nigel, who coerced her into performing sexual acts on camera.

S. told the court in Groningen that he could not recall coercing his ex-girlfriend into webcam sex under a different identity. "I tried to suppress this as much as I could," he stated.

“I don’t know how the videos ended up on the laptop that was found at my mother’s,” S. said on the second day of his sex crimes trial. “It happened 14 years ago.” The judge, reviewing the charge with him, suggested that S. may be compelled to either deny or evade the issue. She referenced behavioral experts who studied him, noting signs of avoidant behavior in their interactions.

One victim, who was 14 at the time, reported the abuse in 2014 and had her statement read aloud in court. “He contacted me on Facebook, promising I could make money. He kept pushing me. I feared the images would be posted online. It felt like I was carrying a secret. The pressure grew constantly, and I had already gone past my own limits several times.”

In her testimony, the woman expressed shock at the number of victims. “It’s heartbreaking to hear what they have gone through.” She hopes that by coming forward, her report can also support the others.

The fact that S. is in custody and on trial “finally gives a sense of closure.” Still, she is left with unanswered questions: “Why did you do this, and why did it go on for so long?”

One other victim said on Tuesday that she felt terrorized and threatened by S. for five years. “Mark, I spent five years living in fear and anxiety,” she stated in her victim testimony on Tuesday.

“You grew more and more threatening,” said the victim, who spoke first using her right to address the court. “I still can’t understand how you managed this on your own. I was receiving so many messages daily from those fake accounts that even after your arrest, I couldn’t believe it was only you behind it.”

The girl was extorted for thousands of euros. S. spent much of the proceeds and the money he took from his victims to fund his addiction. "I used it for gambling," S. said of the funds he stripped from the girl over the course of years. Under duress, his victim was forced to have sex with other men, neighbors, her minor brothers, and a dog. S. referred to this as a "revenue model."

S. was arrested in 2024 following a rape report from a victim in the province of Groningen. Police discovered videos on his confiscated phones and laptops that could serve as evidence of the assault, along with thousands of messages involving dozens of sextortion victims.

S. denies the rape in Groningen and is also accused of assaulting a second victim, a 19-year-old, in a hotel in Rotterdam. He claims the encounter was consensual, but the victim told police she was coerced. She had been promised that S. could help remove the nude images she had sent to one of his many aliases, “Sugarmoney.” “Three years ago, my life fell apart,” she said, visibly emotional.

The victim statements continued on Thursday. “Fear dominated my daily life during that time,” said one woman, who claims S. extorted her with nude images for over two and a half years. She lost her home, forcing her two daughters to move out, and accumulated 30,000 euros in debt, eventually entering debt assistance programs. She called S.’s actions “devastating for my life.”

“I lived in constant anxiety, uncertainty, and fear of the consequences if I didn’t comply with his demands,” the woman told the court in Groningen. “What happened to me took away everything that provided me with support and security: my safety, my confidence, and my stability as both a person and a mother.”

She sent substantial amounts of money to the suspect. “Money I didn’t really have, but I believed it was the only way to manage the situation and avoid further damage,” the victim said. “I want the court to understand that sextortion is not just an abstract or online crime. It doesn’t stay on a screen; it can completely ruin lives.”

The prosecution will announce its sentencing recommendation next Wednesday.