UPDATE: Standerton child pornography case: bail hearing postponed
The 59-year-old man looked dishevelled as he was led to the dock of the Standerton Magistrate’s Court this morning.
The bail application hearing of a man arrested for possession of almost one million child sexual abuse images has been postponed to Thursday.
The 59-year-old man looked dishevelled as he was led to the dock of the Standerton Magistrate’s Court this morning.
He is facing charges of possessing and distributing child pornography, one count of sexual grooming, and one count of compelled sexual assault.
The latter, as defined under South African law, occurs when someone forces a third party to commit a sexual act against another person’s will.
The man was not asked to plead – rendering it still illegal for the media to publish the well-known resident’s name.
The investigating officer, Warrant Officer Lelani de Lange from the Serial Electronic Crimes Unit, testified for the state that bail should not be granted.
She described the accused as a “pedophile”, stating that a total of 954 000 images were found on hard drives. More than 59 000 images were found on one device, and the rest on other external hard drives, also found in the man’s possession.
These included images of children being sexually abused, and could also include AI images depicting child pornography.
According to De Lange, the distribution charge relates to the numerous child pornography websites the man had joined.
“To be part of these sites, members are also expected to share images,” she said.
@ridgetimesnews A 59-year old man found with child p***ography. The ccharges against him are two counts of posession and distribution of child p***ography, one count of s*xual grooming and one count of compelled s*xual assault. #Standerton #justice #justiceforall
She testified that this municipal employee should not be granted bail because he might interfere with a young victim; he is a danger to society as he lives next to a pre-school; and police believe the man suffers from depression and has suicidal tendencies.
Speaking on behalf of the accused, lawyer André Moolman said there are no medical records to indicate that his client suffers from depression.
He referred to the evidence in the case as insufficient and emphasised several technical issues.
Moolman told the court that his client’s photos were leaked to the media, causing further complications.
He said his client has been married for 31 years, is well-known in the community, and could lose his employment if he is not granted bail — which would negatively affect his wife.
Moolman also stated that his client suffers from scoliosis, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. He claimed that the accused cannot sleep without his CPAP machine, which is currently not available to him.
Magistrate Sabelo Tembe presided.
ALSO READ: Child porn: Standerton man found with 56 000 images to ask for bail (VIDEO)
