Ex-Randburg priest sentenced to jail
RANDBURG – Ex-Randburg priest sentenced to six years in jail for sexually abusing children.
A German court has sentenced paedophile and former Randburg priest Georg Kerkhoff to six years in jail for more than 20 cases of sexual abuse of children.
Kerkhoff, (56), was sentenced by the Krefeld district court, in Germany on 6 February.
According to national media reports, he was found guilty of eight cases of sexual abuse of children under his protection, 13 cases of sexual abuse of children and four cases of severe sexual abuse of children.
It is reported that Kerkhoff used alcohol, drugs, sex toys and a parish sauna while molesting boys in Germany.
Previously it was reported that 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.
Kerkhoff had been on trial in South Africa for five years on charges relating to alleged sexual assault of boys during a First Communion camp in Brits in 2008.
The charges were dropped by the Brits Magistrate’s Court in 2013, to make way for Kerkhoff’s extradition.
