A Port Elizabeth man and woman accused of being part of a syndicate that distributed images of babies being sexually abused appeared briefly in the city’s magistrate’s court on Tuesday.
Jayde Sheldon and a 22-year-old woman from Westering are alleged to be part of an international child pornography ring that distributed footage of the rape, torture of babies, including newborns.
An investigating team in Johannesburg was working together with the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Belgian police.
Charges against the couple relate to the importing, possession and distribution of films or publications which contain depictions or descriptions which encourage or promote child pornography or the sexual exploitation of children.
Jayde Sheldon, 33, has already pleaded guilty to the charges against him while the woman could provide a possible plea at her next court appearance.
At their first court appearance in April last year, Sheldon told reporters that the media were blowing the case out of proportion and did not know the full story. He said people were judging him.
At the time, the commander of the Gauteng-based Family violence Child protection and Sexual offences (FCS) unit, Heila Niemand, made a special trip to Port Elizabeth for the couple’s court appearance.
Niemand said that after the arrest of the PE couple, 81 other leads were being followed up internationally.
She also said at the time that there were already six arrests in Belgium and three arrests in the United States of people who allegedly belonged to the same network.
The case was postponed until February 16 for a correctional supervision report.
-African News Agency (ANA)
