Cape Town - An arrest has been made in connection with the controversial “fish-crush” porn video titled Squishing Nemo.
The SPCA confirmed on Monday they had been informed that “an individual” had been arrested in Sea Point and had been charged with the production of pornography.
But it remains unclear whether any of the “actors” or producers have been charged with animal cruelty.
The scandal broke in June, when local high school girls were implicated in the shocking porn, which showed them crushing small creatures to death while performing sexual acts.
Wildlife unit supervisor for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, Megan Reid, said on Monday: “We were informed by Detective Warrant Officer Van Romberg at Sea Point SAPS an individual had been arrested and charged with the production of child pornography.”
The arrest had been made by the FCS (Family Violence, Child protection and Sexual Offences) unit.
The individual is out on conditional bail.
“Charges of cruelty to animals are currently only against the schoolgirls involved in the videos.”
When the video surfaced, the SPCA, police and the provincial Education Department were alerted, with provincial SPCA head Allan Perrins confirming that charges of cruelty to animals were likely to be laid.
The shocking video clips went viral, circulating via links on social media and porn sites.
Just over a minute long, Squishing Nemo shows a girl stomping live fish to death as she has sex with a man.
Education spokeswoman Bronagh Casey confirmed early in June the girl, as well as a second girl in the clip, were pupils at Edgemead High School.
A source told Weekend Argus the two pupils had been expelled after staff became aware of the video. The Directorate of Public Prosecutions is deciding whether they should be prosecuted.
In the clip, one of the girls, using the alias “London”, engages in a sexual act with the man while the second girl takes a live fish out of a pot. She places the fish under London’s foot. London stomps it to death before continuing to have sex.
The girls show no remorse and are seen smiling and laughing in the clip.
Several videos featuring London can be found on a porn site dedicated to the fetish.
The so-called “crush videos” involve fish and other small animals being crushed to death or seriously injured while people engage in sexual activities. The women often wear high heels, apparently to see the creatures suffer as much as possible. They often have their limbs broken or are set alight.
In another of London’s videos, both she and the other girl are wearing Edgemead High uniforms.
Cape Argus