Police have arrested a 26-year-old man from Enkhuizen for sexual abuse and possession of child pornographic material in the second major sexual abuse case this week.

The public prosecution office claims the man persuaded hundreds of boys to send him photos and videos of themselves naked and performing sexual acts.

The man, who was taken into custody on Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, posed as a girl using various accounts on Snapchat and using names such as Britt, Milou, Kate, Tess, and Suus.

The case came to light when two of his victims reported his activities to police. Police then discovered hundreds of explicit photos and videos sent to him via Snapchat on his computer. The man had been making screenshots of the images since 2016, police discovered.

Police say there are no indications yet that he demanded money or shared the material with others.

Police did find that the abuse escalated and that victims sent more and more images. “We are talking of dozens of videos over a period of weeks,” vice police team leader Dennis Sneeuw said. “We want to find out how he got them to do that.”

Police have identified most of the victims and are trying to contact them. The children and their parents are “shocked”, Sneeuw said. “If you’ve always thought you sent pictures to a girl then this can bring on feelings of shame and anger,” he said.

Sneeuw said children underestimate social media, such as Snapchat. “They think it can do no harm to send photos or videos because they are erased. But there are ways to keep them without you knowing,” he said. The impact on the children can be great, he said, and can lead to mental and physical problems.

It is the second major abuse case this week. On Tuesday a 45-year-old man from Barendrecht was arrested for a series of suspected sex attacks on 19 young girls.