A University of Johannesburg Computer science student and resident of Melville was granted R5 000 bail after appearing at the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on 16 September.
The suspect (20) was arrested at his home by the specialised team of investigators from the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit in Gauteng for possession of child pornography.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said the case has been postponed to 4 December. “This latest arrest is part of the team’s Cloud 9 Operation, which is busy investigating the South African wing of the paedophile ring which has members all over the world,” explained Brig Naidoo.
It was established that these rings had software that enables them to share images of child pornography with each other.
The Melville resident was identified through the account of another suspect who was arrested in Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape, early this year. Brig Naidoo further explained, “During the arrest at the suspect’s place of residence in Melville, the police also seized a laptop, a cellphone, seven USBs and one external hard drive. One thousand child porn images were found on his external hard drive.”
This student’s arrest brought the total number of people arrested by the Cloud 9 investigation team to seven and he is the youngest person so far.
According to Brig Naidoo it was evident that child pornography crime had no boundaries and South Africans should avoid being caught in this vicious web.
“Criminal proceedings in all of these cases are still continuing. We are gaining momentum in tracking those involved in this crime and let this serve as a warning that it is only a matter of time before you are arrested,” he concluded.
Details: SAPS 012 845 8943.
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