A father of two minors facing charges of child grooming, illegal possession of child pornography, illegal distribution of child pornography, and unlawful manufacture of child pornography was denied bail in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Also read: Newlands schools warn of increased robberies targeting students
The 32-year-old man was arrested in January after police received a tip-off from US Homeland Security, alleging his involvement in an international syndicate that groomed, manufactured, and distributed child pornography.
He was identified as a social media user who allegedly accessed images and accumulated a collection of child pornography.
Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila stated that a preliminary forensic investigation indicated the accused had amassed a collection of 115 000 images.
Between 12 April 2021 and 19 January 2024, he also allegedly possessed 20 000 child pornography videos.
‘There were over 300 000 chat groups on the social media group, of which 35 large groups were actively manufacturing and distributing child pornography.
‘Because of the operation, 27 targets in the country were identified, and four targets in the Western Cape were all arrested and have appeared in court,’ said Ntabazalila.
In his schedule 6 bail application, the man was expected to demonstrate exceptional circumstances that justified his release on bail and that it was in the interest of justice for him to be released.
According to the NPA, he told the court he was a breadwinner supporting his wife, two minor children, his father, and sister.
‘He was in good health, but it is likely to deteriorate as prison conditions at Pollsmoor Prison are filthy and overcrowded with poor ventilation. He feared losing his employment if his incarceration continued,’ Ntabazalila said.
On Monday, senior prosecutor advocate Evadne Kortje told the court that a preliminary forensic analysis revealed the accused had transformed from an ardent child pornography collector to a child pornography creator.
She said he used the highly deceptive and skilled method of ‘phishing’ to allegedly select and recruit his unsuspecting minor victims.
During court proceedings, the State called on investigating officers Captain Shaun van der Heever and Warrant Officer Barnard, who testified that so far they have identified two minor victims, aged 12 and 14, from Goodwood and Milnerton.
‘Two other victims have not been identified yet. The court heard that [he] befriended the minors by sending them a picture of someone else, the same age as his victims, and pretended it was him,’ said Ntabazalila.
He allegedly inquired about their addresses, the layout of their homes, the security systems at their homes, their family members, and whether they had younger siblings. According to the State, he then allegedly requested them to send him pictures and videos of their private parts.
They would send those to ‘their friend,’ and as soon as he sensed something was wrong, the accused would allegedly blackmail them and threaten to post the images and videos on social media.
According to Ntabazalila, the victims regarded the accused as their boyfriend.
‘Fearing what their families and friends would say when they saw the images and videos, they would be forced to comply with his demands.
‘The victims were so convinced by his lies that they felt they were in a relationship with him,’ he said.
Kortje argued the accused was charged with offenses relating to gender-based violence.
‘The abuse of the internet to exploit the most vulnerable of society cannot be understated. He benefitted, participated in, and contributed to the mass sexual exploitation of children around the world,’ said Ntabazalila.
He added, ‘The humiliation, abuse of trust, and violation of the young, innocent victims is shocking, immoral, and intolerable.’
According to the State, more victims and witnesses would be identified after a full forensic analysis of the evidence from the applicant’s cell phone, due to the nature of his offenses.
In handing down judgment, Magistrate Thandi Varoyi said the victims were wondering ‘what had happened to their boyfriend’ as he had not communicated with them.
‘They do not know him, but he knows them, their families, their homes, and the security at their homes. The investigation is incomplete as both identified victims’ statements are outstanding.’ Varoyi added that all children, including his own, needed to be protected against the accused.
The court found he had failed to show exceptional circumstances that justified his release on bail, and it was in the interest of justice not to release him.
His case was postponed to 27 June.
Also read:
Cape Town premier and mayor visit families of missing fishermen
Picture: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images
