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Corne van Rooyen (L) was recently jailed for 12 years in a plea agreement after being caught downloading child porn images.
Corne van Rooyen from Kraaifontein, Cape Town, has begun serving a 12-year prison sentence following his conviction on multiple serious charges.
The Bluedowns Regional Court sentenced Van Rooyen on Monday after he pleaded guilty to ten offences, including possession and distribution of child pornography, illegal firearm and ammunition possession, animal cruelty, and violating environmental protection laws.
Van Rooyen entered into a plea agreement with the state.
Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed the terms of the agreement and the court’s decision.
He was sentenced to a total of 49 years, but the court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in an effective 12-year imprisonment.
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The charges followed a raid last year during which police discovered hundreds of child pornography images and videos, illegal firearms, and mistreated animals kept without permits. His actions were uncovered through a joint operation with the United States Department of Homeland Security, which infiltrated the Viber messaging platform and identified Van Rooyen as an active participant in online child sexual abuse networks.
The court has ordered that Van Rooyen’s name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
He was also found guilty of two counts of illegal firearm possession, two counts of illegal ammunition possession, two counts of animal cruelty, and restricted activity involving threatened or protected species without the required permits.
The court further ordered the forfeiture of all digital equipment used in the offences, including six cell phones, three USB drives, three memory cards, a laptop, and an external hard drive.
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