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- Alleged child sex abuse ring kingpin Gerhard Ackerman went on trial in January, where he faced 740 charges.
- He pleaded not guilty.
- The court is expected to hand down judgment on Monday.
Alleged child sex abuse ring kingpin Gerhard Ackerman will hear on Monday whether the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has found him guilty of 738 charges.
The charges include rape, sexual exploitation of children, human trafficking, sexual grooming, and possession of child pornography.
READ | Child sex abuse trial: Gerhard Ackerman's ever-changing version riddled with contradictions
Ackerman's trial started in January, which saw him taking nearly two days to plead not guilty to 740 charges.
The trial ran on and off for three months, where prosecutor, advocate Valencia Dube, led the evidence of more than a dozen witnesses and presented hard evidence in the form of WhatsApp conversations from Ackerman, as well as forensic reports on the child pornography found on his cellphone and laptop.
The defence's case only contained Ackerman's testimony.
Acquittal of two charges
After the State closed its case, Ackerman brought a Section 174 discharge application, where he was acquitted of two rape charges relating to him allegedly performing oral sex on two different complainants, two boys aged 15 and 16.
This, because the teenagers did not give evidence about the specific incidents.
However, they both gave evidence on two other charges of rape where it is alleged Ackerman had penetrative sex with each of them on separate occasions.
In March, both the State and defence presented their closing arguments, and the case was postponed to April for judgment.
Judgment
Judge Mohamed Ismail will hand down a verdict on the remaining 738 charges, which relate to four specific episodes of crimes Ackerman is accused of committing against children, which span more than a decade.
Episode one and two: Indecent exposure in the Western Cape
In 2007, Ackerman is accused of exposing himself to a nine-year-old boy and his seven-year-old cousin in the bathrooms of a camping site in Hartenbos.
Two years later, he allegedly exposed himself to the cousins again at the same holiday spot.
Episode three: Exposing himself to an 11-year-old boy at a swimming school
In July 2018, Ackerman then allegedly exposed himself to an 11-year-old boy and masturbated while recording the incident at a swimming school in Sunninghill.
After being confronted by employees at the swimming school, Ackerman allegedly fled in a vehicle, damaging the boom gate at the entrance.
While not linked to this trial, during this same period, Ackerman also allegedly forced an 11-year-old boy to touch his genitals in a public bathroom at an upmarket country club in Johannesburg.
Episode four: Child sex abuse ring run in Johannesburg
Most of the charges against Ackerman relate to the unlawful possession and creation of child pornography, as well as the child sex abuse ring he is accused of running.
He is accused of running the ring with the help and involvement of senior advocate and acting judge Paul Kennedy - who died by suicide before the trial started - between 2019 and 2021.
The State led evidence which painted the picture of the operation of a sex abuse ring which was hidden as an above-board massage parlour.
READ | How Gerhard Ackerman allegedly fronted Joburg massage parlour to run a child sex abuse ring
Ackerman would allegedly find young teenage boys via social media, traffic them, sexually groom them and then sell them for sexual services to an extensive list of clients.
In WhatsApp conversations presented as evidence to the court, he sent images of a boy to a client.
In a voice note, Ackerman can be heard availing two teenage boys for sexual acts in return for payment.
He explained to the client the man would pay R1 200 to make one boy available and it would cost R2 000 for both boys.
After bartering over the price, the client said he wanted the boy. Less than an hour later, the client tells Ackerman: "I'm here."
This boy was revealed to be 15.
This same boy was also allegedly raped by Kennedy after being taken to the advocate's house by Ackerman.
READ | Child sex abuse trial: Gerhard Ackerman admits to filming himself having sex with a minor
It is alleged Ackerman also requested pornographic images and videos from the children and sometimes paid them for the content. These would reportedly be distributed to his clients, including Kennedy.
In addition, hundreds of images and videos of child pornography was found on Ackerman's cellphone and laptop.
Kennedy was arrested and charged alongside Ackerman for the crimes allegedly committed between 2019 and 2021.
The full list of charges Ackerman faces include:
- 639 counts of unlawful possession of child pornography.
- Two counts of unlawful creation of child pornography.
- Two counts of unlawful importing or procuring of child pornography.
- One count of unlawful distribution of child pornography.
- One count of unlawful transactions facilitating the distribution of child pornography.
- Five counts of human trafficking.
- Three counts of benefitting from the services of a child victim of trafficking.
- Two counts of allowing a premises to be used to facilitate trafficking in persons.
- One count of distributing information that facilitates or promotes trafficking in persons.
- Four counts of conduct that facilitates trafficking.
- Seven counts of rape.
- Seven counts of sexual assault.
- One count of compelled rape.
- One count of compelled sexual assault.
- Eleven counts of sexual exploitation of children.
- Three counts of furthering the sexual exploitation of a child.
- Three counts of benefitting from the sexual exploitation of a child.
- Eighteen counts of the sexual grooming of children.
- Five counts of exposure or display of genital organs to children.
- Five counts of using children for or benefitting from child pornography.
- One count of malicious damage to property.
- Three counts of attempted murder.
