An alleged child groomer accused of manufacturing child pornography was denied bail in die Mitchells Plain Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Sannon Angelo Manuel, 32, is charged with a Schedule 6 offence and was arrested in January as part of an international operation involving US Homeland Security, to crack down on child porn syndicates.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Eric Ntabaliza says the state successfully argued its case and convinced the court that Manuel was a danger to society.
He says a preliminary forensic investigation indicates that Manuel amassed a collection of 115,000 images and 20,000 videos of child pornography in three years.
Manuel identified as a user of a social media platform where there were over 300,000 chat groups, of which 35 large groups were actively manufacturing and distributing child pornography.
The NPA's Ntabaliza says during the bail hearing, two police officers testified that they had already identified two minor victims aged 12 and 14 from the Goodwood and the Milnerton area.
Two other victims have not yet been identified.
According to the state, Manuel used a sophisticated phishing scam to befriend children while pretending to be someone else.
Ntabaliza says the victims were asked questions about their addresses, the layout of their homes, the security systems, their family members, and whether they had younger siblings.
He says Manuel would then ask them for pictures of their private parts and eventually blackmail them by threatening to share them on the internet.
During the Schedule 6 bail application, Senior State Adv Evadne Kortje said the victims were so convinced by his lies to an extent they felt they were in a relationship with him and that he was their boyfriend.
Manuel Defence
Due to Manuel facing a Schedule 6 offence, he had to show exceptional circumstances which justified his release on bail and that it was in the interest of justice.
He argued through his legal team that he was the breadwinner who supported his wife, two minor children, his father, and his sister.
He said he was in good health, but it was likely to deteriorate as conditions at Pollsmoor Prison were filthy and overcrowded with poor ventilation.
He feared losing his employment if his incarceration continued.
Judge Ruling
In her judgment, Magistrate ZT Varoyi said the victims were wondering what had happened to their boyfriend as he had not communicated with them. They do not know him, but he knows them, their families, their homes, and the security at their homes. The investigation is incomplete as both identified victims’ statements are outstanding. They need to be taken for counselling before being informed of what has happened.
Their families also do not know what has happened to their children.
He has managed to groom and manipulate them to the point where they must comply with his demands. Not only other people’s children must be protected, but his children also need to be protected against him. His release will send a sense of shock and jeopardise and undermine the criminal justice system, put the victims’ lives in danger, the public will lose trust in the justice system, he has failed to show exceptional circumstances existed which justify his release on bail and that it was in the interest of justice for him to be released on bail.
Manuel's case was postponed to the 27th of June 2024.
The NPA said they were pleased with the bail outcomes of the other men arrested in the international operation.
Garth van West was denied bail in the Worcester Magistrates Court, Corne van Rooyen at Bluedowns Magistrates Court and Kayden Elliot in the Mossel Bay Regional Court.
