Ex-teacher accused of child porn and sexual grooming granted bail

A former teacher at Raslouw Academy from Valhalla accused of allegedly exposing pornography to children and sexually grooming three boy pupils from his school has been released on bail of R10 000.

The 41-year-old appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

He is facing three counts of exposing pornography to children and four counts of sexual grooming of two 13-year-olds and one 15-year-old boy pupils.

Bail

The school operates as a private institution in Centurion, catering specifically to pupils with special needs.

In his bail affidavit, the man asked to be released on bail, because he is a first offender, his elderly parents are dependent on him, and he has a chronic illness that requires medical attendance.

However, state prosecutor Chris Maruma opposed the bail application, saying a similar case was opened against the man when he was previously employed as a principal at another school in Johannesburg.

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Interference

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said Maruma argued that more victims have come forward and therefore, if released on bail, he may interfere with investigations by contacting the victims.

“When handing down judgment, the magistrate said that the strength of the state case is currently unknown because the information on the devices is unknown.

“Moreover, he said that the accused has a chronic illness that he might not get treatment for in prison. Therefore, the accused was granted bail.”

Pornography’

Mahanjana said the ex-teacher contacted the three boys in August 2024.

“He allegedly sent the pupils nude pictures of himself and requested they send their nudes in exchange.

“The accused allegedly requested and received a picture from one of the children, then video-called the pupil and proceeded to demonstrate inserting his penis into a bottle,” Mahanjana said.

Mahanjana added that one of the victims reported the matter to the school teacher, who requested they bring their phones to school for observation.

“The parents of the victims were informed about the incident by the school, and a case was opened against the accused in August 2024.

Arrest

A joint operation between the Saps, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Homeland Security resulted in the arrest of the accused on 13 December 2024.

The case was postponed to 27 March 2025, for further investigations.

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