Members of a Pretoria family is appearing in court today on rape and child pornography charges at the Pretoria Regional Court.
Nine family members from Hammanskraal were arrested in 2010 and charged with rape; indecent assault; sexual grooming of children; and possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography.
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Six minors were immediately removed from the family’s care when it was alleged that they were forced to commit sexual acts amongst themselves and filmed for the purpose of producing child pornography.
It was alleged that the abuse of the children – of whom the youngest was four at the time – started in 2005, according to Women and Men against Child Abuse (WMACA) founder Miranda Jordan Friedman.
“We are still shocked that the accused abused their own (grand)children as well as two very young children for whom their house was meant to be a safe haven after experiencing the trauma of entering the foster system.”
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Those arrested included the grandfather (58); grandmother (57); their two sons aged 34 and 36; the grandfather’s brother (61) and his wife (42); and their mentally disabled son (28).
The two wives of the sons aged 26 and 31 were arrested later.
Two of the accused were found not guilty in 2015.
“The third suspect was sentenced to nine years in prison for the rape of his then nine-year-old sibling,” Jardan Friedman said.
She said the remaining six accused will appear at 10:00, with the cross-examination of expert witnesses expected to continue.
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