A man found with almost one million images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children continued his bail application in the Standerton Magistrate’s Court on August 21.

The case was postponed to August 28 for judgment.

He is facing multiple charges, including two counts of possession and distribution of child pornography, one count of sexual grooming, and one count of compelled sexual assault.

According to the State prosecutor, Mahlatse Makopo, each photo or video would ordinarily constitute one count of possession of child pornography; however, due to the massive amount of material, the counts were compiled.

He also said that if convicted, the accused would serve a minimum of five years’ imprisonment for each piece of material recovered.

The police recovered an estimated 954 884 images and videos from multiple devices. The first device seized during the initial arrest had 59 884 images.

Warrant Officer Lelani de Lange said in court that the accused was part of groups that share child pornography online through an app called Signal.

“Before joining such a group, a person must supply a certain amount of child pornography, which suggests that the accused might have been distributing these images as well,” testified De Lange.

State prosecutor Makopo used the Signal app as another example of why the accused must not be granted bail, stating that the accused has international friends who have committed the same offence.

“It is the opinion of the State that he might enlist the help of other group members to flee the country if he is released,” said Makopo.

During his argument, André Moolman, the accused’s lawyer, said that the court must consider that some images found might not be images of real persons.

De Lange responded by stating the legal definition of child pornography.

“Simulated images can also be considered as child pornography if the person depicted in the images appears to be a minor,” said De Lange.

According to De Lange, the forensic investigation is still pending as each image must be examined and categorised individually. During the trial, it was revealed that the accused lives next to a preschool in Standerton.

The State argued that he is a danger to the little children who attend the school and may repeat previous offences.

“If you look at the number of images recovered, it is clear that the accused is a paedophile. If he is released, he will make a plan to to obtain new material,” she said.

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De Lange spoke about the circumstances of the accused, stating that in these cases, offenders will often become more desperate to view child pornography.

She said they will often join groups and, in some cases, resort to forcing children to make sexual content to satisfy their addictions.

“This is a worldwide problem. The mere fact that the accused was part of these groups means that we cannot rule out that he was linked to other potential paedophiles,” said De Lange.

One victim has been positively identified in relation to the charges of compelled sexual assault. Authorities are currently trying to find the child to obtain a statement.

Moolman replied to this by stating that the State does not have sufficient evidence to continue with the charges of sexual grooming and compelled sexual assault.

“Leads do not constitute facts, and in this case, there are no facts to support these charges,” said Moolman.