WMACA petition no bail for man accused of sharing nude photos of girl
The Boksburg Magistrate's Court on March 22 heard the bail application of a local car salesman who allegedly shared nude photos of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter.
The hearing was held behind closed doors and no media or members of the public were allowed to sit in the courtroom.
The case was postponed to April 4 for further arguments.
He is charged with the possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography.
The 39-year-old Atlasville resident, who cannot be named to protect his victim’s identity, was arrested on September 30 last year at his workplace, after police established that he had stored child pornography on his laptop.
National police spokesperson Brig Vishnu Naidoo said the man allegedly took and posted photos of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter, sharing them with users as far as the United States of America (USA).
The suspect is alleged to have taken as many as 50 pictures of the victim in naked poses and to have advertised them online, while the child’s mother was oblivious of what her daughter was being subjected to by her boyfriend.
The defence attorney argued that the suspect should be released on bail as there is no public interest in the case.
However, Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) thinks otherwise.
“We will oppose bail for this suspect who allegedly has offended prior to these current serious charges against him,” said Germaine Vogel, WMACA advocacy manager who attended the court proceedings.
“We at WMACA know that there is strong public interest and support in holding re-offenders in custody as well as handing down the harshest sentences to anyone committing crimes against children.
“We will present a signed petition to the court before April 4 and we urge members of the public to please visit our Women and Men Against Child Abuse Facebook page to sign our petition to oppose bail in this case,” she said.
WMACA can be reached at https://www.facebook.com/WMACAKidz/ or www.wmaca.org.za
