More child porn arrests expected
POLICE are set to swoop on more Durban and Joburg child pornography suspects in a joint operation of the SAPS and the US Department of Homeland Security.
The operation led to the arrest of three men this week, in Pinetown, Bluff and Waterfall in Durban.
Police first closed in on a 29-year-old suspect in Pinetown, who immediately gave up two other suspects, aged 35 and 47, who were arrested and appeared in court this week.
SAPS spokesman Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said: “The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are imminent.”
Homeland Security constantly monitors traffic flow relating to child pornography and the first suspect’s IP address was picked up by US officers after the suspect accessed a flagged website.
They tipped off the Durban FCS Serial and Electronic Crime Investigation Unit (SECI) which was joined by the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units (FCS), and Homeland Security.
The trio of alleged child predators were netted, cuffed and in the dock at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning for their first appearance.
While their names can only be made public at the bail hearing, set down for next week, all three have been charged with accessing, sharing, downloading and distributing child pornography.
The 47-year-old, who lives on the Bluff, has also been charged with rape, sexual assault, grooming, sexual exploitation and using a child for child pornography. Seized images revealed his neighbour’s child may have been a victim.
All three were remanded in Westville Prison.
Having investigated many paedophile cases, private investigator Brad Nathanson said child predators often appeared to be upstanding members of a community. A search of the accused on Facebook paints a chilling picture.
The 35-year-old from Waterfall portrays himself as a loving father of three children, with one post reading: “Gosh, one day I’ll have a house full of kids. Now just to find a wife. Are u out here? Doesn’t matter if u have a child or kids, i’ll love them and treat them the same as I do with my own kids. Come on, I know whoever u are reading this just send me a inbox msg. I’m waiting for u.”
Suggesting there was a high prevalence of child pornography cases in the upper Highway area, Nathanson cited three other recent cases in the courts:
• A 40-year-old man arrested for possession of 15 000 child pornography images.
• A 45-year-old man arrested for downloading pornography with children the same age and sex as his own children, including sites such as “dad has sex with daughter” and “mother has sex with son”.
• A 42-year-old male arrested for possession of child pornography.
Meanwhile, last month, Karl Kiloh, 35, from Glenwood, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of creating and possessing child pornography. Police raided his home in December, seizing his cellphone and computer hard drives.