A Norwegian GP accused of raping 87 women and girls during ‘gynecological examinations’ is facing dozens of his alleged victims in court, including one who was just 15 years old when she says the abuse took place.
Arne Bye, 55, is also accused of abusing his position to solicit sexual contact from a total of 94 women over the age of 20 – including two who were children at the time of the alleged assaults.
The massive case has shocked the small village of Frosta, which has a population of just 2,600. Prosecutors reportedly dropped the cases filed against Bye by another 114 women “so the indictment wouldn’t be too broad.”
One of the women who testified against him detailed how, at the age of 15, she underwent her first gynecological examination at the doctor’s office and was accompanied by her mother throughout the appointment.
“He said he was going to ‘examine my walls,’” the woman said NRK. He then touched her G-spot in a “masturbation-like manner” for “several minutes,” it was reportedly claimed.
“I thought it was disgusting and ugly, but I was prepared for that,” the woman said, explaining that she had been warned the examination would be “awkward, painful and disgusting.”
Bye said he “strongly rejects” the allegation. He has had the opportunity to respond in court to the allegations made by each of the alleged victims. The process is expected to take several weeks.
Arne Bye, 55, is accused of abusing his position to obtain sexual contact with a total of 94 women
Bye’s practice, where most of the ‘investigations’ took place and he set up cameras
The small town with only 2,600 inhabitants has been shocked by the shocking case
The former municipal inspector has pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and 35 counts of abuse of power, and faces up to 21 years in prison.
Police seized more than 6,000 hours of video footage during their investigation, most of which were recordings of gynecological examinations carried out on patients without their knowledge, which investigators described as ‘sensitive and detailed’.
The images, taken in the doctor’s office and in at least one case at a woman’s home, are shown in court.
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 before the court in Trøndelag, one woman said the experience had been so painful “that I thought I was going to die.”
Another woman who spoke in court earlier this month said of her alleged assault in 2006: “There was always a lot of pain, so you thought something was wrong.”
The woman, who is now in her 40s, described having undergone several examinations and said that during one examination he massaged her clitoris in a way that made her uncomfortable.
Bye allegedly told her she had cysts in her abdomen that he was trying to manipulate.
She told the court she asked him to stop and said she did not talk about what happened afterwards.
Police seized more than 6,000 hours of video footage during their investigation, most of which were recordings of gynecological examinations performed on patients without their knowledge
Researchers describe the hours of video footage as ‘sensitive and detailed’
‘It’s very embarrassing. It’s a shame. It’s not something you want to talk about,” she said of the episode.
The woman told the court she wished she had spoken about her experience sooner. ‘If I had reported it earlier, my child’s friends, neighbors and colleagues could have prevented this.’ Bye denied her accusations against him.
The first concerns about Bye were expressed as early as 2006 by another doctor in the gynecology department of the local hospital in Levanger, a town near Frosta.
One of Bye’s patients, who went to the hospital for further treatment, reported that her doctor massaged her genital area during an examination.
According to the indictment, Bye allegedly injected a “deodorant-like” substance into a number of women
Bye is also said to have used a cylindrical object during the examinations, without there being a medical reason for this
She reportedly said other patients had experienced the same thing, but Bye denied the allegations.
Police started their investigation into him in August 2022 after health authorities warned them of possible criminal offences.
Bye was allowed to continue in his post until a police complaint was filed against him in 2023.
Despite the serious allegations against him, Bye has not been taken into custody. Officers say they will continue to monitor the situation, but there is no basis for his arrest at this time. The process continues.