A court in Norway has sentenced a doctor to 21 years in prison for the rape and sexual abuse of dozens of women, in a case that has shocked the Scandinavian country.

Former GP Arne Bye has been convicted of 70 counts of rape and sexual assault. He was also convicted of 82 counts of abusing his position as a doctor, Norwegian media reports.

Nearly all of the offences took place during medical examinations that Bye carried out on his patients while he worked as a physician in the small town of Frosta – a tiny community of fewer than 3,000 residents, near Trondheim on the west coast of Norway.

Bye was also banned from practising medicine and ordered to pay compensation.

Warning: this story contains details some may find distressing.

The court had deliberated over a lengthy indictment, which included allegations spanning nearly two decades relating to 94 women, according to Norwegian media.

Bye pleaded guilty to some of the crimes, and was also acquitted on a number of the charges.

Addressing the court in Trondheim on Friday, Judge Espen Haug said the case was “very serious” and described Bye’s actions as “absolutely unacceptable”.

“The defendant’s actions happened in a place and setting where people are supposed to feel safe,” Judge Haug said. “His actions have undermined public trust in the health service as well as doctors in general.”

The 55-year-old defendant stood on his feet, appearing calm and unmoved as the maximum sentence was handed down.

The courtroom was then asked to sit as it took more than an hour for the judgement to be read out.

Health authorities had first alerted the police to concerns about Bye in August 2022, and he was charged a year later.

Bye had secretly installed a camera in his office, Norwegian media reports. Police uncovered the scale of his offences after reviewing hundreds of hours of footage.

Dozens of women, reportedly aged between 14 and 67, from the small, rural community came forward. The earliest complaint dated back to 2004, the most recent from 2022.

Central to the case had been the methods Bye used for medical examinations.

Over four months, the court heard details of non-consensual touching and inappropriate pelvic examinations conducted by Bye.

These act constitute rape under Norwegian law, which makes a distinction between penetrative and non-penetrative rape.

Bye was also shown to have used non-medical equipment, such as a deodorant, during these exams, with no justification for doing so.

The defence attorneys had sought a lower sentence of around 17-18 years as Bye had pleaded guilty to the rape of 21 victims.

Prosecutors told public broadcaster NRK that they were satisfied with the verdict, and would review the outcome before considering any appeals.

Bye’s lawyer also said he would take some time to read the verdict properly before considering whether to appeal.

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