A couple has reappeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court for the formal indictment of charges against them.
They are accused of operating an illegal business that involves the sexual exploitation of children through altered images.
Tiona Moodley and Daren Wilken face a long list of serious allegations, including the possession, distribution, and possession of drugs; money laundering; attempted sale of sexual exploitation of children (formerly known as child pornography); and cyber fraud.
When the couple was arrested in January, the asset forfeiture unit seized Wilken’s luxury vehicle, which displayed the brazen registration number ‘KIDZ NA GP,’ high-end electronic equipment, and over R647 000 in cash.
The case has been officially transferred to the high court, where pre-trial proceedings are scheduled to begin on February 19.
Activists call for harsh sentences
Miranda Jordan, a founding director at Women+Men Against Child Abuse, called for harsh penalties.
“We are here with a case that has approximately 19-million images of child sexual abuse. That is basically 19-million scenes of children who are raped and abused by people [adults] they trust,” Jordan said.
“The presence of two monsters, Moodley and Wilken, makes it clear that they must never see the light of day, as they have scarred those children for life.”
Jordan underscored the increasing incidence of child sexual abuse crimes. She underlined how important it is to determine who is using this type of content.
“Very sadly, the prevalence of child sexual abuse crimes is growing, and one of the biggest problems is that we don’t understand the market.
“Who are the people who are buying this material? Who are the individuals who are permitting the exploitation of a child in exchange for an image that provides them with personal gratification? We want to know their gender, age, and demographic,” she said.
READ MORE:Â Midrand couple charged with producing 19m images of child sexual abuse
