‘Rehab could control abuser’

‘LOLLYCON’: GUILTY ON A CHARGE OF DISTRIBUTION AND POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

Court hears the accused was molested at age of eight and apparently suffered from Fanconi anaemia.

Rehabilitation was said to be possible for Pennington resident Shane Andrew Jordaan, who pleaded guilty in court to a charge of distribution and possession of child pornography on August 24, reports South Coast Herald.

Jordaan’s attorney Paul Ramasar called their first witness on Friday. The witness, Pietermaritzburg-based clinical psychologist Dr Clive Willows, led with his report on Jordaan, whose mother and grandmother were both present in court.

According to Dr Willows, it had emerged that Jordaan himself had been molested at the age of eight.

Jordaan, 26, also apparently suffers from Fanconi anaemia, the treatment for which caused him to go through puberty at a much younger age than normal.

It was revealed in court that his mother and father had abandoned him and, in 1997, custody had been awarded to his grandmother, with whom he currently lives. His mother had left the country when he was two and is said to have become a sex worker.

When Jordaan was 18, his father had invited him to stay with him but this only lasted a month, after Jordaan confessed to his father that he had molested his half-brother.

Jordaan sought the help of a psychologist in 2011 but later became almost completely isolated from the outside world. He withdrew from society in general, becoming heavily reliant on his computer and the comfort of his own bedroom. It was only online that he could establish an identity for himself.

Jordaan and his grandmother moved to Pennington from Pietermaritzburg, and he developed an online romantic relationship which continued for two years.

At just 13, he realised he was sexually

His mother left when he was two

attracted to children.

Dr Willows highlighted that if a proper course of action were taken, Jordaan could be rehabilitated and that he could control the need for sexual gratification which he gets from child pornography.

During his interaction with other people online, Jordaan had become socially accepted and was referred to as a “lollycon” – a term identifying someone attracted to young girls. By this time, he had already been in contact with child porn distributors online and was in possession of numerous images and videos.

He was said to have often felt “disgusted” when he was sent images depicting the “violent” sexual abuse of minors and often reported these, supposedly to Interpol.

The state said Jordaan had previously explained that neither adult nor child pornography was enough to satisfy his needs and he wanted to watch videos depicting child rape. While accepting that he had no control over the content sent to him, the state asked why he had not deleted them if they had disgusted him so much. The court heard the images depicted torture.

Dr Willows said if Jordaan were able to shift his focus towards more socially acceptable means of occupying his time, he could be rehabilitated and over time, could learn to control his urges. The state then made reference to a 25-year study by the Harvard Medical School, in which it was concluded that there was, in fact, no “cure” for paedophilia.

Ramasar asked Dr Willows whether Jordaan could be considered a paedophile. He answered “yes”, but taking into account Jordaan’s mental age – supposedly 10 – he could not be classified a paedophile as the description applies only to those over the age of 16 years.

The second witness, social worker and project manager for the Teddy Bear Foundation Elizabeth Steenkamp, said the trauma experienced by victims often leaves them scarred for life. In some cases, victims can become offenders and that some also develop mental disorders.

The case was postponed to October 25, when it is understood that the defence will call a priest and a doctor to testify.

Jordaan remains out on bail. – Caxton News Service