More online child sexual predators arrested

A man who posed as a teenager to lure underage girls to a chat group where child pornography was distributed and shared is among three child online sexual predators arrested last week.

In a joint operation led by the SAPS Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations unit, a  53-year-old man from Worcester in the Western Cape was arrested last Wednesday.

He was found with 95 000 images and 6 000 videos of child pornography, and faces a charge of accessing, distributing and possessing child pornography.

The second suspect, a 40-year-old man, was arrested in Kraaifontein, on the outskirts of Cape Town, last Thursday.

In his possession, he had more than 149 000 pictures of child pornography, more than 5 000 videos, two unlicensed firearms and various ammunition, and nine snakes, three of which he did not have a permit for. He is facing charges of possession of illegal firearms and ammunition, and possession, distribution and accessing child pornography.

A 32-year-old man from Mitchell’s Plan, the third suspect, was arrested on Friday.

He was found to be chatting to underage girls and luring them to a chat group where nude pictures were exchanged.

All suspects appeared in their respective magistrate’s court, where their cases were postponed for further investigation.

The director of public prosecutions in the Western Cape, the National Prosecuting Authority, Cape Nature, the SPCA, and the USA Department of Homeland Security all assisted in last week’s operation.

This is the seventh arrest of child online sexual predators since November.

The other four were arrested in November, three in Gauteng and one in KZN.

The arrests form part of an international operation to trace manufacturers, users and distributors of child pornography.

Tips for parents and children

• Monitor your children’s devices and social media accounts.
• Install parental control software and apps that can identify and block harmful content in chats, forms and other internet communication tools.
• Advise children not to respond to messages or emails from strangers.
• Never upload sexually suggestive images of yourself to the internet.
• Never reveal personal information about yourself, including where you stay or which school you go to, to an online friend. –SAnews.gov.za