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 happened.
Arne Bye, 55, is also charged with abusing his position in order to obtain sexual contact with a total of 94 women over 20 years – including two who were children at the time of the alleged assaults.
The vast case has rocked the small village of Frosta, home to just 2,600 inhabitants, with prosecutors reportedly dropping cases brought by a further 114 women against Bye ‘so that the indictment would not be too extensive.’
One of the women testifying against him has detailed how she had her first gyneacological exam with the doctor at the age of 15, and was accompanied by her mother throughout the appointment.
‘He said he was going to “examine my walls”,’ the woman told NRK. He went on to touch her G-spot in a ‘masturbation-like way’ for ‘several minutes’, it was reportedly claimed.
‘I thought it was disgusting and that it was ugly, but I was prepared for that,’ the woman said, explaining that she had been warned to expect the examination to be ‘awkward, painful and disgusting.’
Bye said that he ‘strongly rejects’ the allegation. He has had the opportunity to respond to the accusations made by each of the alleged victims in court, with the trial expected to last several weeks.
The former former municipal superintendent, has pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and 35 cases of abuse of position, and faces up to 21 years in prison.
Police seized over 6,000 hours of video material 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 footage, taken both in the doctor’s surgery and in at least one case a woman’s home, is being shown in court.
According to the indictment, Bye allegedly inserted a ‘deodorant-like’, a ‘bottle-like’ and a cylindrical object into the women without there being any medical reason for doing so.
In shocking testimony to 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 abuse 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 several examinations carried out, and said that during one he massaged her clitoris in a way she was not comfortable with.
Bye allegedly told her that she had cysts in her abdomen that he was attempting to manipulate.
She told the court that she asked him to stop, and said she did not speak about what happened afterwards.
‘It’s very embarrassing. It is shameful. It’s not something you want to talk about,’ she said of the episode.
The woman told the court that she wished she had spoken of her experience sooner. ‘If I had notified earlier, my child’s friends, neighbors and colleagues could have avoided this.’ Bye denied her allegations against him.
The first concerns about Bye were raised as long ago as 2006 by another doctor in the gynecology ward at the local hospital in Levanger, a town near Frosta.
One of Bye’s patients, who was attending the hospital for further treatment, reported that her doctor had massaged her genital area during an examination.
She reportedly said that other patients had experienced the same, allegations Bye denied.
Police launched their investigation into him in August 2022 after health authorities alerted them about possible criminal acts.
Bye was allowed to continue in his post until police charges were filed against him in 2023.
Despite the serious accusations against him, Bye has not been remanded in custody, with officers saying that they will continue to monitor the situation but that there is currently no basis for his arrest. The trial continues.
