Child abuse material accused Wilken, Moodley denied bail
Darryn Wilken and Tiona Moodley, who are accused of selling child abuse material, were denied bail by the Randburg Magistrates Court on Friday.
Wilken and Moodley were arrested on separate occasions last month, following the discovery of more than 10 million videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of minors at their Midrand apartment.
READ: Wilken ‘pocketed millions’ from child abuse material
It’s alleged that the couple’s cover was blown when a sextortion complaint by an underaged girl in the United States of America led investigators to a global syndicate which Wilken allegedly ran.
Delivering bail judgment on Friday, Magistrate Pravina Raghunandan found that if the pair were released on bail, the sense of peace and security amongst local and international community members would be undermined and that the public's confidence in the criminal justice system would be jeopardized.
The court also noted that the state has a strong case against the accused and its earlier claim that three countries had inquired about their possible extradition was an incentive for both Wilken and Moodley to take advantage of legal loopholes to evade prosecution.
[JUST IN] Darryn Wilken and Tiona Moodley have been denied bail. The pair remain in custody until 24 March 2025 #DarrynWilken #TionaMoodley #ChildAbuse pic.twitter.com/XFnkZHO8oe
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) February 14, 2025
“I find that the state has a relatively strong case against both applicants one and two, despite applicant two [Moodley] saying that she was only the administrator [of the websites in question]. This may give both an incentive to evade the trial of extraditions, as the porn content was made available to both the local and international community for sale and sentences imposed are likely to be long terms of incarceration.”
READ MORE:Moodley, Wilken to spend another week behind bars
The court said it also noted Moodley's attempts to distance herself from the allegations against her partner, Wilken.
The couple face multiple counts of money laundering and other charges linked to the distribution of child sexual abuse material.
In her affidavit, Moodley pleaded ignorance and said she was merely used by her boyfriend.
However, the state argued that she was a willing participant who tried to erase electronic evidence linking her to the alleged crime.
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