Cape Town - A former Camps Bay police station commander, who has been charged with child pornography and indecent assault, was found dead in his Vredehoek residence on Tuesday.
Zbiegniew Andrzej Weclaw, 65, a station commander for 21 years and a police member for 30 years, was arrested on November 24 last year, months after a charge was made by his son Daniel Clifford Weclaw, 40, in April.
Weclaw discovered multiple boxes of DVDs containing child pornography, featuring mostly young boys, with some filmed by Zbiegniew.
Weclaw was one of the boys in the videos.
Following several attempts by the police and others to gain entry to the premises, the maintenance man for the flat contacted Weclaw, saying that he would check as he believed that the elder Weclaw was inside.
“He then managed to send me a photo of my father laying dead in the bath.
“I knew it was him and immediately contacted the prosecutor and the police and demanded that they gain entry to the flat.
“They returned and gained entry and found my father lying dead in the bath but with clothes on.
“He was apparently dead for a while,” said Daniel.
“The way I found out was extremely traumatic.
“I literally fell asleep with tears rolling down my face.
“I am not too sure what the cause of death was and I’m waiting for the autopsy to find out for myself.
“I’m really shaken up by this whole ordeal.
“I didn’t expect this to happen and I’m filled with mixed emotions right now,” said Daniel.
An arrest warrant was issued against Weclaw after he failed to present himself at court last Thursday. Daniel said he was sexually abused by his father from the age of six until the end of primary school.
“This is not the way I wanted things to end and wish the case was concluded for my closure.
“I feel that the system in crimes like this needs to be looked at as it can't take so long and with so many delays and red tape.
“Victims go through enough trauma and feel that the last year since I laid charges have been very traumatic and hard at times often with no answers.
“I am very traumatised at the moment as now my last memory of my father is him lying dead in a bath.
“I have been through enough and didn’t need this to happen.”
Police spokesperson André Traut confirmed that a death inquest has been registered.
“The death of a man in his late 60s is being investigated after his body was discovered in his Vredehoek flat late on Tuesday night,” said Traut.
Previously, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila said the accused who was out on bail, was charged with a count of indecent assault and two counts of possession of child pornography.