Forced sex: Boy wants to apologise

2011-03-24 14:28

Pretoria - A 10-year old boy who was forced to have sex with his cousins desperately wants to apologise to one of them for "die slegte dinge" (bad things) he was forced to do to her, the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court was told on Thursday.

This emerged during the testimony of investigating officer Warrant Officer Tonya Louwrens, who was giving evidence at the bail hearing of the boy's 32-year-old mother.

The woman is one of nine people accused of a string of child pornography and related charges.

Louwrens said that she had received several calls from the boy's current foster mother.

"Bob [not his real name] wants to say sorry for what he did to her. He talks about it often," said Louwrens.

The bail application was being heard by Magistrate Pierre Wessels.

The woman is believed to be the wife of accused number eight, and was arrested near Hammanskraal in January.

The group face charges of rape, indecent assault, sexual grooming of children and possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography.

The eight arrested last year include a grandfather, 58, grandmother, 57, their two sons from previous relationships, aged 34 and 36, the grandfather's brother, 61, and his wife, 42, and their son, who is reportedly mentally disabled. The 26-year-old wife of one of the sons was also arrested.

Six children, aged 4 and older, were allegedly used in sex movies which were then allegedly distributed.

Four other children were removed from the care of the accused and sent for psychological and medical tests.

Louwrens told the court on Thursday that since the children had been taken into safety they had not been together and had no possibility of corroborating each other's story regarding the abuse that took place.

During the bail applications in January, the court heard the State was investigating the possibility of a connection with a child pornography syndicate.

The woman's eight co-accused are expected to appear in the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court on April 6, when it is expected that a decision will be made on whether to send the case to the regional court.

- SAPA