A former village doctor is on trial in Norway accused of raping 87 women and filming the attacks at his surgery and in their homes over the course of 20 years, in what is being described as the biggest sexual abuse scandal in the country’s history.

Arne Bye, 55, is accused of abusing his position to have sexual contact with a total of 94 women – two of whom were children at the time of the alleged abuse.

The oldest woman was 67 years old when she was allegedly raped, while the The youngest alleged victims were 14 and 15 years old.

Bye, a former municipal inspector, has pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and 35 counts of abuse of position, and faces up to 21 years in prison.

Police seized over 6,000 hours of video footage during their investigation, most of which were recordings of gynecological examinations performed on patients without their knowledge, which investigators described as “sensitive and detailed”.

According to the indictment, Bye allegedly inserted a ‘deodorant-like’, a ‘bottle-like’ and a cylindrical object into the women for no medical reason.

In shocking testimony to the court in Trøndelag, one woman said the experience had been so painful “I thought I was going to die”.

Woman number 18, as she is referred to during the trial, told the court on Wednesday that she had gone to her GP with a sore throat before the invasive examination took place.

Arne Bye, 55, is accused of abusing his position to have sexual contact with a total of 94 women

Bye’s surgery, where most of the “investigations” took place and he set up cameras

The small town of just 2,600 residents has been shaken by the shocking case

Despite the nature of her illness, she said she was examined in her underwear on the bench, according to information told the court: “I thought he was my doctor, so I did as he said.”

The women have each described unpleasant, invasive experiences during the gynecological exams, with many saying Bye gave them a “stomach massage.”

The indictment describes how the acts ‘happened quickly and unexpectedly’ during gynecological examinations at the doctor’s office at Frosta.

The small town of just 2,600 residents has been rocked by the shocking case, where Bye has been both a public figure and doctor for hundreds of residents there for years.

The lengthy trial has seen the court shown graphic video evidence, all recorded by Bye during the investigations.

– We have video recordings of the assault itself. In that respect, we have a rather special evidentiary situation in the case, in that large parts of the indictment are illustrated with video material, says the prosecutor, says Attorney General Richard Haugen Lyng.

Bye claimed in court that he filmed meetings because he feared lawsuits from patients, and claims he never saw the videos, except in connection with the case.

According to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the video in woman number 18’s case shows Bye placing several cameras around before starting to examine her.

From the audio from the clip, NRK reports, it appears that Bye asks the woman if it is painful, and at one point warns her that “this is going to hurt”.

Bye initially insisted to investigators that his examination of woman number 18 was not sexual in nature. But when he went to the witness stand on Wednesday, NRK reports that he partially admitted to the accusation of rape.

According to the indictment, Bye allegedly introduced a “deodorant-like substance” into a number of the women

A cylindrical object is also said to have been used by Bye in the examinations, without any medical reason doing so

The 19th woman who took the witness stand during the trial said he said he told her to sit in the gynecologist’s chair several times, even though she had no abdominal problems.

She reportedly said that Bye’s examinations “took a long time” and that they had all been painful.

The woman’s daughter and sister are also said to be among the alleged victims in the case.

The first concerns about Bye were raised as long ago as 2006 by another doctor in the gynecology department of the local hospital in nearby Levanger.

One of Bye’s patients, who was in the hospital for further treatment, reported that her doctor had massaged her abdomen during an examination.

Police seized over 6,000 hours of video footage during their investigation, most of which were recordings of gynecological examinations performed on patients without their knowledge

Investigators described the hours of video footage as “sensitive and detailed”

She reportedly said other patients had experienced the same thing, allegations Bye denied.

Police began investigating him in August 2022 after health authorities alerted them to possible criminal activity.

Bye was allowed to continue in his post until the police charges were brought against him in 2023.

Despite the serious allegations against him, Bye has not been taken into custody, and police say they will continue to monitor the situation but that there are currently no grounds for his arrest. The trial continues.