THE Durban teacher recently charged with possession of child pornography might face additional charges, after allegations surfaced that he was convicted of indecent assault in 2003. It is alleged that the incidents occurred approximately 20 years ago.
The 48-year-old Glenwood man was arrested last week, after child pornography was allegedly found on his laptop. Some of the content allegedly involved photos of boys, while there were also videos in which the teacher can be seen performing sexual acts.
He appeared at the Durban Magistrate’s Court court on Thursday, 21 August where he was charged with possession of child pornography.
The accused is expected to appear for his formal bail hearing next week Tuesday, during which the State will be opposing bail and attempting to add additional charges.
Despite the conviction and being registered with the SA council of Educators (SACE) the teacher has been employed at various KwaZulu-Natal schools.
According to Tim Gordon, the national CEO of the Governing Body Foundation, SACE should provide institutions with a list of sex offenders and people who have been banned from working with children, but the register has not been updated.
“Currently there is only 450 individuals listed on the register. Institutions are suppose to check applicants against the list. The law is clear, but the practicality is not always available, as the records do not reflect reality,” he said.
Earlier in the year, outrage swept across social media after it was alleged that a teacher from Johannesburg unwittingly showed pornography to a group of Grade 10 pupils while viewing porn on his laptop. The teacher claimed that he did not know that his laptop was plugged into the projector at the time.
In July a teacher from Benjamin Pine Primary School resigned after he showed pornography to a group of Grade 6 pupils. The incident took place during a slideshow presentation.
The laptop that was prepped for the presentation was allegedly inoperative and the teacher in question opted to use his personal laptop.
When it was plugged into the projector the pornographic images were allegedly relayed onto the screen. When the teacher realised what was happening he reportedly promptly unplugged the laptop.
The Highway Mail was unable to receive comment from the department of education or the SACE at the time of publication.
