Pretoria - Pretoria North magistrate Pieter Nel issued warrants of arrest for a grandfather and grandmother convicted of being part of a sex ring, which involved the rape, sexual grooming of children, and distribution of child pornography, should they fail to appear for sentencing on December 1.
Nel issued the warrants as he indicated on Monday that no medical evidence was shown in court to detail the reason for the no-show by the pair.
The court was informed that the man and woman, listed as the first and second accused in the case, failed to appear for sentencing due to ill health and being emotionally unwell.
The duo are among others due to have appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court for sentencing on Monday, after they were convicted earlier this year for their involvement in running a sex ring involving the family’s biological children as well as foster children under their care.
According to the information available, the family taught the children how to be sexually active, and instructed them to perform sexual acts on one another, while some of the family members also raped and sexually assaulted the victims.
The case, dating back to 2010, involved nine Pretoria North family members who were arrested when details of abuse dating back to 2005 surfaced. This was after one of the victims, a 6-year-old, disclosed to an educational psychologist at school that her foster parents were sexually assaulting her.
The alleged child porn ring consisted of the grandfather and grandmother with their two sons and their wives, as well as a mentally disabled son.
The police uncovered that the family had been assaulting two foster children as well as four of their biological children. Two family members were acquitted and one was sentenced to nine years in 2015, while the six remaining family members were charged with 53 counts of rape, sexual grooming of children, indecent assault, incest, as well as possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography.
In May this year, the grandfather was found guilty on 17 counts, including rape, indecent assault, compelled rape, compelled sexual assault and child abuse.
The family grandmother was found guilty of multiple charges, including sexual assault, compelled rape, child abuse and compelled sexual assault.
Her son and daughter-in-law were found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault, compelled rape, and compelled sexual assault, and child abuse and neglect.
Sentencing proceedings are due to resume in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on December 1.
Pretoria News