Most of the victims of the widely reported Johannesburg’s alleged child sex ring were from disadvantaged families facing financial distress.
This was revealed by SAPS clinical psychologist Col Kirsten Clark, who is testifying in the trial of Gerhard Ackerman, 53, who is facing 740 charges related to human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The incidents allegedly took place between September 2020 and July 2021. He pleaded not guilty in the Johannesburg high court.
Clark told the court that most of the children came from what could be described as a dysfunctional family, where a father or a mother was either remarried or no longer present.
“There was also a large number of them who had suffered some kind of abuse, whether it be bullying, physically, mentally, emotional or psychological abuse,” she told the court.
Clark conducted a psychological assessment on the victims to assess their ability to testify in court and if they had the capacity to consent to sex.
After compiling her reports, she recommended that the victims, though some have reached the age of 18, should either testify via a CCTV camera or with a court intermediary.
She found they are vulnerable witnesses, some of whom are showing signs of trauma and depression after the alleged abuse.
“Most of the victims could be diagnosed with a psychiatric condition,” she said.
Advocate Paul Kennedy was a co-accused in the case, but he committed suicide in February last year. He was 63.
According to the indictment, the pair targeted minors on social media platforms, including Facebook.
“They would request images and videos from minor children and sometimes pay them for such images. The accused made travel arrangements for these children to come to Johannesburg, where they would be accommodated by accused 2 [Kennedy]. Both accused engaged in sexual acts with the children,” the indictment reads.
Ackerman, the indictment states, would allegedly arrange clients who the children would “service” for a fee.
They were arrested after one of the children went to the police.
