Police arrest girlfriend of Midrand child pornography suspect

The South African Police Service (Saps) has made another arrest in connection with millions of videos and photos of child pornography uncovered in Midrand last week.

Saps officers on Thursday handcuffed a 25-year-old woman, believed to be the girlfriend of the man who was arrested after an estimated 10 million child pornography images and videos were found at his apartment.

Arrest

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk said the woman, a professional web designer, was arrested in Houghton on Thursday.

Van Wyk said the woman faces charges of possession of child pornography and money laundering.

“This arrest follows the takedown of her 35-year-old boyfriend, who was apprehended last week during a joint operation conducted by the national and Gauteng provincial Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) Units in Midrand.

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“An intensive investigation by the SECI Units uncovered evidence linking the woman to criminal activities, including the possession of an estimated 10 million child pornography images and videos. These materials were discovered on various electronic devices seized during an operation on Friday, 17 January 2025,” van Wyk said.

‘Boyfriend’

Van Wyk said the woman is expected to appear before the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 27 January 2025.

“Investigations into the matter are ongoing,” van Wyk said.

Meanwhile, the woman’s boyfriend man appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court this week.

During court proceedings, the state informed the court that the police are also investigating R560 000 found at the suspect’s property, which may be linked to money laundering.

Bail

The state argued that evidence was still being collected.

The defence also requested that the case be postponed for a bail application rather than further investigations.

“Like I said, I’ll inform the presiding officer today about the possibility of the 28th being a bail application date because, obviously, the investigating officer will have to inform the court about the outcome of the investigations.

“I cannot then say that [the postponement] is for bail application because what if there are still more investigations that need to be conducted,” she said.

Child porn

At least 21 suspects have been arrested and charged with offences related to child pornography in South Africa in the last two years, according to police spokesperson Amanda Van Wyk.

This included the arrests of a 41-year-old former school principal in Pretoria and a 49-year-old man in Vanderbijlpark.

Saps members, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Homeland Security, nabbed the duo in December last year.

Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa

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