Fury at molester’s five-year jail term
Cops slam sentence for sexually assaulting three girls
MIKE BEHR
SEX crimes cops are furious that a serial British paedophile received only a five-year prison sentence when the Wolseley Regional Court found him guilty of sexually assaulting three girls between the ages of 11 and 14.
Former Riebeek Kasteel restaurant owner Anthony Charles Purnell, 58, originally from London, was this week found guilty of grooming and sexually assaulting the three Tulbagh girls in the Kluitjieskraal area of Wolseley in 2016. He also received a suspended five-year sentence effective for five years.
“The sentence is shocking,” said a source familiar with the investigation. “Especially for this type of crime and the ages of the victims. It’s not justice. Purnell will be out on parole in
SAMEER NAIK sameer.naik@inl.co.za a few years and the victims and the families will struggle with the psychological damage for years, maybe even a lifetime. Children’s lives have been destroyed by this man.”
The source requested anonymity for fear of being disciplined or dismissed. So too did other sex crimes cops commenting on the matter, who said they worked to bring paedophiles to book only to see them released a few years later.
Following two years of postponements, Purnell did not stand trial. He was eventually sentenced after entering a plea bargain agreement with the State and pleading guilty to all charges.
According to the agreement, the agreement spared the victims of “the inconvenience and trauma of a protracted trial”.
Purnell procured his victims using THIS week we feature South African model, television presenter and former professional swimmer Brett Rogers.
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You can get any tattoo artist in the world to do your next tattoo. Who do you choose and what tattoo do you get? an Hiv-positive pimp who participated in the grooming and assault for a R250 fee. The 24-year-old from Tulbagh cannot be identified as it would identify her sister’s 12-year-old daughter, who was also sexually violated by Purnell in the pimp’s presence.
The pimp turned State witness and accordingly received a three-year correctional supervision sentence. In addition, she received a five-year jail sentence suspended for five years.
Sources revealed that the investigating officer in the Purnell matter refused to sign the plea agreement because she would not accept his sentence. The National Prosecuting Authority confirmed this, saying that the agreement was finalised instead by her commanding officer after prosecutors “explained the particular difficulties in the matter”.