Cape Town man sentenced to 12 years for possession and distribution of child pornography
Corne van Rooyen was sentenced to 12 years’ direct imprisonment by the Bluedowns Regional Court after pleading guilty to possession and distribution of child pornography.
Image: Supplied
A Kraaifontein man who downloaded and distributed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, while also being in unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition, and protected species, has been sentenced to 12 years’ direct imprisonment by the Bluedowns Regional Court.
Corne van Rooyen pleaded guilty to ten serious offences, including the possession and distribution of child pornography, illegal firearm and ammunition possession, animal cruelty, and contravening environmental protection laws.
His sentencing on Monday comes after a plea and sentencing agreement with the State.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed that Van Rooyen used the Viber mobile application, under the username “COME,” to share child pornography with other users.
“He downloaded 453 images and videos of child pornography to store on his cell phone and other devices,” said Ntabazalila.
“When online, he broadcast his collection of child pornography to other users.”
His criminal activity was exposed through an international collaboration with the United States Department of Homeland Security (HSI), which infiltrated the Viber platform and identified Van Rooyen as an active participant in online child sexual abuse networks.
A raid on his home on January 18, 2024, uncovered a 12-gauge Astra shotgun and a 9mm short Beretta firearm, along with ammunition. He admitted to purchasing the weapons illegally for R1,000 and failing to register or disable them as he had claimed.
In addition to the child pornography and firearms charges, Van Rooyen was convicted of animal cruelty. Authorities found two undernourished dogs, three snakes, and several fish on his property. One of the dogs, a pit bull, had been tied on a short rope without shade.
“He also admitted to being with a Pitbull terrier, which he tied on a short rope without any access to shade,” said Ntabazalila, citing contraventions of the Animals Protection Act.
He was also found in possession of three ball pythons, a protected species, without the required permits. Van Rooyen claimed the snakes belonged to a friend named Albertus, but the court found him guilty under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act.
Although sentenced to a total of 49 years across all charges, the court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in an effective 12-year imprisonment. His name has been entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he has been declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The court also ordered that six cell phones, three USB drives, three memory cards, a laptop, and an external hard drive seized during the investigation be forfeited to the State.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv Nicolette Bell, praised the multidisciplinary efforts that led to the conviction, saying each of these successful prosecutions was the culmination of months and even years of painstaking investigative and prosecutorial work.
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