SWELLENDAM – A 48-year old man, who appeared in the Swellendam Magistrates’ Court earlier today in connection with the contravention of the Film and Publication Act for allegedly being in the possession of footage that might constitute child pornography has been granted bail under stringent conditions following his arrest yesterday, 17 March 2021 on a farm in the Overberg district just outside Swellendam.

His arrest follows a joint effort by members of the Provincial Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit based in Cape Town in collaboration with Home Land Security from the American Embassy who executed a search warrant following intelligence obtained that the suspect frequented an American chat room where participants share explicit sexual talks and footage of minors. Based on intelligence, the integrated team searched the residence of the accused and subsequently confiscated electronic equipment, including cellphones and tablets and arrested the suspect. The electronic devices will be sent for analysis to determine the extent thereof.

The suspect appeared in the Swellendam Magistrates’ Court this morning and was granted bail of R2000.00 with conditions not to have any contact with minors / children, with the exception of his own children. Furthermore, he is not allowed to visit any website nor pornographic sites.

The case was remanded to 13 May 2021 pending further investigation.

The Provincial Police management has lauded the effort of the integrated team for protecting the rights of our most vulnerable, our children. “We shall continue to intensify our fight against Gender-Based Violence through our continuous efforts to protect the rights of our most vulnerable”, said Acting Provincial Commissioner, Maj Genl Thembisile Patekile

Source: South African Police Service