Rape, sex traffic case against Paul Kennedy’s co-accused ongoing

The state has joined three other criminal cases currently before lower courts in Johannesburg and the Western Cape against the late advocate Paul Kennedy’s co-accused, who is set to appear in Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for similar charges.

Kennedy was found dead at his home after he committed suicide on 21 February, a week before he was meant to return to court, to determine whether charges of attempted murder would be added after one of his alleged victims tested positive for HIV.

The 53-year-old co-accused, who cannot be named until he has pleaded, appeared in the High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday, after he was charged with more than 700 counts of possession of child pornography, sexual exploitation, and grooming.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the other cases were added after the Western Cape and Wynberg courts brought similar allegations.

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NPA’s Phindi Mjonodwane said the case against Kennedy, who was charged with three counts of rape and compelled rape, was officially withdrawn after his death.

“The prosecutor is still going through those dockets. [The co-accused] was convicted in KwaZulu-Natal for exposure of his private parts to minor children and fined R500,” she said.

During a previous court appearance, in February, Kennedy and his co-accused were ordered to take HIV tests after it emerged that one of the victims, a teenage boy, had tested positive.

Without revealing the results, state prosecutor Valencia Dube said the state would charge both accused with attempted murder, after receiving the HIV tests, which were performed on Kennedy and his co-accused on 1 February.

However, Women and Men Against Child Abuse’s (Wmaca) Advocacy Manager Ngaa Murombedzi said they expected the consolidation of the lower and high court cases against the remaining accused in the ongoing child sex trafficking and rape case.

“The matter has been increasingly frustrating and negatively reflects upon the justice system,” Murombedzi said.