Fstate child porn accused in court

A former Free State teacher, one of several men accused of being part of a child porn syndicate, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

 

The case against the man was postponed for further investigation to October 28. In August, five other men, including another teacher and a retired school principal, appeared in various South African courts.

 

Police were following up a tip-off from Interpol on August 15 when it arrested the six men in four provinces for possession of child pornography. They were arrested in Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein, White River, Douglasdale, and Florida.

 

A lawyer, a dermatologist, and a businessman are among the six. All are suspected of involvement in an international child pornography syndicate, police said at the time. Police were investigating whether the six were involved in distribution and manufacturing child pornography, and if they were linked to an international syndicate.

 

Investigators raided several homes in various provinces in August. Among the items seized were 672 dvds, 22 memory sticks, eight laptops, two computer tablets, 39 external hard drives, and 25 books containing explicit photos. It was reported the case had links to Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, western Europe, and Australasia.

                 

-Sapa