A Danish priest on trial for possessing 80,000 child abuse images told a court the illegal material was like a forbidden stamp collection.

COPENHAGEN: A Danish priest who downloaded 80,000 photographs and 2,300 films depicting child sexual abuse told a court his actions were “like collecting stamps”.

Tom Thygesen Frederiksen, 60, made the comparison during his trial in Naestved, as reported by Danish news agency Ritzau.

He confessed to possessing the illegal material, which included around 700 images classified as the most severe type involving violence or coercion. “I’m incredibly sorry for what I’ve done,” Frederiksen told the court.

Police discovered the cache during a search of his home in May 2024 after a tip from a file-sharing service. The material was also found on his work computer.

Frederiksen testified that he never paid for the content and claimed he felt no sexual attraction to children. He said he developed an addiction after clicking a link to “forbidden pictures”.

“Because it was banned, there was a fascination value,” he explained. When questioned about the vast quantity, he replied it was “like collecting stamps — but in a completely wrong way”.

The priest, who had previously led pastoral care groups for children, was suspended from his parish role and later resigned. The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of at least six months.

The verdict in the case is scheduled for February 25.

 The Sun Malaysia