Castrate me, says paedophile
2007-09-14 08:36
Johannesburg - In a final desperate attempt in mitigation of sentence for filming sex acts with a host of under-age girls, a convicted West Rand paedophile on Thursday offered to have himself castrated.
Gordon Joubert, a 48-year-old IT specialist was convicted earlier this year of eight counts of rape, 11 of indecent assault, 14 of crimen injuria and one count of making child pornography.
The convictions total 35 of the 42 initial charges against him, for incidents dating from 1998 to 2004, in which he either raped or indecently assaulted at least 16 girls aged between four and 14 and recorded the acts on video.
In a sentencing hearing on Thursday Joubert, through his legal representative Advocate Charles Thompson, told Judge Naren Pandya that he would, still without admitting guilt, submit himself to voluntary castration.
This gesture, put forward as "palpable compelling circumstances" in determining Joubert's eventual sentence, drew heavy criticism from the prosecutor, Advocate Jacqueline Steyn.
"It's ridiculous. What about his hands? Castration won't stop him from committing these deeds again," she said.
Shortly before this on Thursday morning Dr Bridget Armstrong, head of the forensic unit at Sterkfontein Hospital near Krugersdorp, in her psychiatric report on him said she definitely saw Joubert as "a danger to society".
"He has no remorse, does not admit his deeds, and meets the criteria of a paedophile."
She also testified that Joubert displayed several of the characteristics of a psycopath, which meant there was virtually no chance of him being rehabilitated.