An elderly man confessed to having sexually abused tens of children over the past five decades on a special investigative journalism program broadcast on RÚV’s news magazine Kastljós last night. Police say the man will be taken in for questioning.

The man has been charged with sexual abuse in the past but at the time more than ten years had passed since the violations were committed.

Up until 2007, violations that old were invalid before the law and could not lead to a conviction. However, now the law has been amended and the perpetrator has confessed to more recent violations, ruv.is reports.

Björgvin Björgvinsson, chief of the Reykjavík Metropolitan Police’s sex crime division, confirmed to RÚV after the program that the man would be questioned about his confessions and asked to provide more detailed information about his victims.

On the program, the man admitted to knowing that abusing children was wrong. Even so, for 50 years he has sought to work with children and in spite of being a known pedophile has never faced punishment for his actions.

Many of his victims, among them national celebrities, stepped forward and described their experiences on Kastljós yesterday evening. The program will continue tonight.

Click here to see the program (in Icelandic).

ESA