A 40-year-old man was arrested in Heraklion, Crete, after stalking an 18-year-old woman for nearly three months, with a subsequent search of his home uncovering a large amount of child sexual abuse material, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT.
The woman, who lives in the Therisos neighborhood of Heraklion, had reportedly been followed by the man on several occasions at night as she returned home.
The 40-year-old followed her all the way to her front door, repeatedly frightening her. He is also accused of engaging in acts of public indecency and, on at least one occasion, approaching her window.
The woman reported the incidents to the Heraklion Security Police several days ago. Officers then placed the neighborhood under discreet surveillance.
Arrest follows police surveillance
The man was arrested while following the woman again and engaging in an indecent act in the middle of the street, according to ERT.
Police subsequently searched his home. During the search, officers found a hard drive containing a large amount of child sexual abuse material on his computer.
According to police cited by ERT, the material had been downloaded through the dark web.
Police said the victims depicted in the material appeared to be very young children and that the videos originated from foreign countries.
The 40-year-old, who lives alone, is facing serious felony-level charges as authorities continue their preliminary investigation.
