A 62-year-old man charged with possession of child pornography appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Picture: Nomonde Zondi
Durban — A 62-year-old man who was arrested in a joint operation between the SAPS and the US Department of Homeland Security last month, appeared briefly in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday charged with possession and downloading of child pornography.
The case was adjourned to a later date in May for a formal bail application. It also emerged in court that the man who indicated he wanted to be represented by Legal Aid South Africa may not qualify for the free service.
The court heard that the time between now and his next court date would be used to conduct a means test to assess whether the accused qualified to be represented by Legal Aid.
The accused is one of two men arrested last month on charges for possession and downloading of child pornography.
The SAPS’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Investigations (FCS) and Serial and Electronic Criminal Investigations unit traced the accused to Umbilo on Wednesday April 24, where thousands of child pornography images and videos were seized.
According to police, they also found images of children being sexually abused on the 62-year-old’s computer device.
During the operation, the Department of Social Development assisted in removing children aged 6 and 4 months, who were living on the same property.
A day before the 62-year-old’s arrest, Durban entertainer Anthony Stonier was arrested on charges related to child pornography.
According to police, the 58-year-old was found in possession of hundreds of images and videos of children involved in sexual acts.
Included were images and chats where information relating to boys available for sexual favours at a price of R2 500 and a willing buyer having a choice to drug them were found.
Stonier was refused bail on Thursday in the Durban Magistrate’s Court and is to appear again in court on June 3.
Police said the arrest of the two men brought to 13 the number of suspects arrested so far in South Africa through a joint operation between the SAPS and the US Department of Homeland Security.
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