Alleged paedophile’s trial to commence next year

MBOMBELA – The man was arrested in the early hours of September 6, 2018 on charges of sexual assault at his former residence, a security complex in Sonheuwel.

The sexual assailant has not yet pleaded in court. Due to the nature of the charges with minors involved, the man cannot be identified until he has pleaded to the charges against him, according to Capt Adriaan Odendaal of Nelspruit police’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual offences Unit (FCS).

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Odendaal confirmed that the accused is facing two charges of sexual assault and a charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

On September 11, 2018 Lowvelder reported that the children claimed that they were lured to the house by the accused. “Some of them have even moved out of the complex as a result of this,” a source close to the newspaper stated.

On May 17 when the perpetrator appeared in court, he was ordered to move out of the security complex he was living in, as the alleged victims still reside there. He is currently residing in a local old age home.

He was scheduled to appear in the Regional Court at the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on August 7, but did not appear and a warrant for his arrest was issued subsequently. He made contact with Odendaal and after a warning was issued to him, appeared in court again on August 12, where the matter was  postponed to October 1 to procure the social worker’s reports from the minor victims.

The case was remanded until January 15, 2020 for the trial to commence.

ALSO READ: Alleged paedophile left complex where victims still reside