‘Showed porn to own kids’ charge

A MODELLING agency boss accused of sexually assaulting numerous teenage models has also been charged with showing child pornography to his own children.

The former chief executive of the agency, who cannot be named, would allegedly recruit established young models or unknowns through Facebook before molesting them.

One of the more than a dozen complainants has also said the man raped her when she was just 15 after being summoned to his home for a business meeting.

The man’s trial was set to start yesterday morning in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, but because of a lack of available courtrooms, it will be another five months before the lengthy proceedings get started.

The indictment detailed how the man had allegedly rubbed his naked body on some of the complainants, touched them inappropriately and sent lurid, sexual messages to the teenagers.

However, the charge sheet also shows that a search of the man’s home uncovered a collection of child pornography on his electronic devices.

The investigating officer also alleges that this was compounded by the fact that the accused had shown this pornography to his own young children.

The businessman is also accused of defrauding several of his clients and partners within the agency, at times agreeing to conduct photo shoots, but then not delivering the finished photographs.

The court documents show that the earliest sexual assault incidents with the young models allegedly began in 2006.

The man was arrested in 2013 after numerous victims of the alleged abuse came forward.

It is understood that the former modelling agency chief executive was held in custody for 11 months before he was granted bail.

Yesterday the trial had been set down for seven weeks, but the courtroom in which it was meant to happen was already inundated with other cases.

State prosecutor, advocate Arveena Persad, told the court that a space for the trial could only be secured by October 5.