Romanian boy who met Dutch girl on Roblox guilty of forcing her to cut herself, kill pet
Those in the Netherlands in life threatening danger should immediately dial 112 for emergencies, and anyone suffering from depression or contemplating suicide can call 113 Zelfmoordpreventie at any time by dialing either 113 or 0800-0113, or by visiting 113.nl.
A 14-year-old Romanian boy who met a Dutch girl over the Roblox game platform was convicted on Friday of using extortion to force the girl to cut herself, write messages in her own blood, and to carve his name into her skin. Through the online contact, the boy also forced the 13-year-old into sexual acts, told her to attempt to hang herself, and manipulated her into killing her pet fish, the District Court for Amsterdam said. Three other victims are likely involved in the case, including a 13-year-old British girl.
In custody since the start of the year, the boy was effectively sentenced to time served. He was handed a 12-month juvenile detention of which six months were suspended under special conditions. He also has to pay the Dutch girl close to 12,000 euros.
The two first encountered each other in October 2025 on Roblox, and kept in contact online through mid-December. The victim said she felt a connection with the boy, and sensed he really understood her. This despite the defendant being based in Roșia de Secaș, a small, central Romanian village of about 1,500 people.
Quickly turns towards extortion and violence
In reality the defendant was interested in joining an organization known as the Com Group, the court heard. It is considered to be a network of misogynist extremists, where "violence against victims is encouraged and normalized," the court said. While the girl was being tricked into falling for the teen, he was busy using the artificial intelligence service, ChatGPT, and his contacts within the radical network to learn tactics to extort her.
Over time, "he forced her to cut herself, to create 'bloodwalls' (writing texts on a wall with her blood), and to make 'cutsigns' (carving his name into her body)," the court wrote on Friday. "He also forced her to kill her pet and to attempt to hang herself."
She was manipulated into sending him video footage of earlier acts, and was forced to continue sending him content as the situation became more violent and extreme. "He threatened to make public the sexually-explicit images, and footage of an attempted hanging. He also carried out this threat by sending images to her family and former classmates via WhatsApp and Snapchat."
The court heard that the boy did indeed send material to people close to the victim. Eventually, she attempted to take her own life by jumping off a viaduct, causing serious bodily harm. While prosecutors pressed a case of aggravated assault for this, the court acquitted him of the charge saying it could not be proven that his actions caused the suicide attempt.
Conversely, even though the forced sexual acts were remote in nature, the court found that the boy directed the acts. As such, he was also convicted of rape even though there was no physical contact.
Arrest and terrorism charge
The boy was taken into custody in Romania, and investigators seized his computer, two hard drives, an SD card, and two smart phones. He was extradited to the Netherlands in January on a European Arrest Warrant filed by Dutch authorities.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service alleged the crimes happened with terrorism as an aggravating factor, arguing that networks of radical extremists, like the Com Group, are meant to undermine society. While the court agreed that the result of such crimes causes "great unrest in society," "feelings of powerlessness," and a general fear for children, the court disagreed with prosecutors.
The court said, "it has not been established that the boy acted out of an ideological conviction. Nor was he intent on disrupting society. His motive was different, namely a feeling of loneliness and the need to belong."
No authority to prosecute over additional victims
Further, the court heard arguments regarding three other victims in the case. One of them was identified as being 13, and living in the United Kingdom. The other two have not yet been identified.
The Amsterdam court said it has not been proven that the incidents of abuse in these cases took place in the Netherlands. Thus far, prosecutors and investigators have not managed to establish a connection to the Netherlands in these other cases.
As such, the court said the Netherlands lacks the jurisdiction to bring the additional cases to trial.
Moving abroad, but still banned from social media and extremist material
Upon his release, he will move to Austria where he can live with his mother, provided he cooperates with forensic psychiatric care in that country. The Dutch court ordered him to adhere to a ban on social media for as long as his care provider deems necessary, and he must avoid contact with "extreme visual material," and must not store such material.
He is also banned from contact with people connected to the Com movement. "In addition, he will receive treatment, must attend school according to a schedule, and must cooperate with checks of his phone and computer by child protection services," the court said.
