The case was postponed to next month.
Alleged child pornography kingpin Darren Wilken’s girlfriend and co-accused, Tiona Moodley, is moving to appeal her bail denial in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
Wilken and Moodley briefly appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, their first appearance since June.
Both were denied bail in February and remain behind bars.
They face an extensive list of charges, including possession and distribution of child pornography, money laundering, fraud, contravention of the Drug Trafficking Act, acquisition and possession of unlawful proceeds, and possession of stolen property.
Child pornography accused’s bail appeal application
During Tuesday’s proceedings, the state confirmed it had been served with a notice of bail appeal for Moodley, who works as a web designer.
“The registrar informed us, and we will, therefore, be dealing with the bail appeal in the high court prior to serving the indictment,” state prosecutor Colleen Ryan told the court.
Ryan further confirmed that the investigation had been finalised and that the state was preparing the indictment.
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“The indictment is quite a lengthy one due to the severity of the charges and the amount of charges that the accused will be facing in the high court.
“So we are currently in the process of drafting the indictment, however, it would be nonsensical for us to proceed to serve the accused and transfer them prior to bail issues being dealt,” she explained.
The matter was postponed to 22 October by agreement between the state and the defence.
“We are hoping that all of that will be resolved by the time we arrive back in this court,” Ryan added.
FBI probe
Wilken and Moodley were implicated in an international child sexual abuse network following a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in collaboration with South African authorities.
The investigation was triggered when a minor in the United States (US) reported a case of sextortion.
The probe led investigators to a website known as Dankmegaz, allegedly owned and operated by Wilken.
According to the state, the platform contained explicit images of children and teenage girls that were sold online.
Wilken is alleged to have earned at least R3 million from the operation between 2023 and 2024, despite his assertion that his online business brought in only R50 000 a month.
Meanwhile, bank records showed that Moodley received R1.5 million, despite being unemployed.
Authorities also seized R647 300 in cash at Wilken’s Midrand property, where they discovered more than 10 million images and videos of child abuse material during his arrest on 17 January.
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