An attempt to have child rapist Gerhard Ackermann dismissed in a new sexual assault case

Gerhard Ackermann

• Earlier this year, Gerhard Ackermann was convicted of more than 700 counts of possession of child pornography, rape, human trafficking and sexual grooming linked to a child sexual abuse ring he ran.
• In a separate trial for sexual assault, Ackerman filed a dismissal motion against the examining judge for alleged bias.
• The court denied the application because Ackermann failed to provide any evidence of bias.

Convicted child rapist and sex trafficker Gerhard Ackermann fails to get the judge to preside over the sexual assault trial, and she recuses herself.

Ackerman, who was recently convicted of more than 700 counts related to a sexual assault ring, is currently on trial in Alexandra District Court in a separate sexual assault case.

On Tuesday, Ackerman filed a dismissal motion against the examining magistrate, Sita Prinsloo, alleging she was biased against him and “pro-state.”

In an affidavit, read in court by his legal aid attorney, Ackerman said Prinsloo was biased based on the following incidents:

In response, the state first laid out the reasons for the refusal and then argued that there was no evidence before the court by Ackermann to support the refusal request.

In her ruling, Prinsloo set out the facts, including that the state wanted to subpoena the child complainant to identify Ackerman in open court.

Prinsloo felt that this would not be in the interests of justice because Ackerman would have been the only white man in court that day.

This is why the court suggested an identity review in the traditional sense.

Read | ‘He had nightmares’: A mother’s agony as her son relives the trauma of abuse at the hands of a child accused of child sex

Prinsloo also rejected the other reasons raised by Ackerman, stating that there was no reasonable cause for her to recuse herself and that Ackerman had not presented evidence to convince the court of bias.

Then I refused the request.

alleged crime

Ackerman was arrested and charged with molesting an 11-year-old boy in a public bathroom at a luxury country club in Johannesburg in August 2018.

Ackerman allegedly forced the victim to touch his penis four times before the victim could escape.

The boy was there with his school hockey team to play a game.

Ackerman, who has been charged with four counts of sexual assault, has pleaded not guilty.

Child sexual abuse ring

While out on bail in the sexual assault case, Ackerman ran a sexual assault ring that fronted a massage parlor.

One of his clients, who also actively assisted Ackerman in the ring, was Paul Kennedy, a well-known prominent lawyer and acting Supreme Court justice.

Also read | Different boys, different bathrooms – same age, same way of working, hear Gerhard Ackermann’s experience

While Kennedy died by suicide before the trial could begin, Ackerman was found guilty of more than 700 counts in April, including possession of child pornography, human trafficking, rape, child sexual grooming, attempted murder, sexual assault and pedophilia.

He was also convicted in other incidents where he assaulted children in public restrooms. This included exposing himself to an 11-year-old boy at a swimming school.