Polish authorities arrested a man suspected of rape after an undercover CNN investigation revealed online networks where men shared methods of drugging and raping partners. The suspect has already been charged and is in custody.
Polish authorities have arrested a man in connection with the alleged rape of an “unconscious victim” that was filmed and shared online, the Lublin District Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday.
The arrest comes about online networks of men who teach each other how to drug and rape their partners.
Polish media identified the arrested man as “Piotr,” the pseudonym given to the Polish man at the center of the CNN investigation.
Marek Zych, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, did not confirm the suspect’s name to CNN, but confirmed that an individual was detained on rape charges and “was placed in pretrial detention for three months.”
The man was charged under Article 197 of the Polish Criminal Code, which includes “an aggravated form of rape when the victim is vulnerable or unable to resist”.
The prosecutor’s office said the man “admitted to the charges against him” but did not provide information about the next steps in the case.
In a statement, the office indicated that the man faces a potential prison sentence of between three and 20 years if convicted.
As part of the investigation, CNN journalists Saskya Vandoorne and Niamh Kennedy created fake profiles on porn sites and group chats where some users share videos of sexual acts performed 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 drugging and raping partners.
The suspect exchanged messages under Vandoorne’s covert identity, sharing what he said were non-consensual intimate images of his wife. CNN went to a city in Poland to confirm the man’s identity.
CNN contacted Polish police about its findings last month.
