Randburg priest stands trial in Germany

Ex-priest Georg Kerkhoff from Randburg will appear at a German court on 9 January, on charges of sexual assaults on his 11-year-old godson.

Media reports suggest that Kerkhoff had been on trial in South Africa for five years on charges relating to alleged sexual assault of boys during a church camp in Gauteng in 2008.

According to the report, the Catholic Church in South Africa was unable to explain Kerkhoff’s transfer to South Africa in 2007 and how he was allowed to continue working with children, despite allegations of abuse in Germany, surfacing over a decade ago.

The charges were dropped by the Brits Magistrate’s Court in 2013, to make way for Kerkhoff’s extradition.