A Northern Cape man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for being in possession of child porn.
Northern Cape provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola welcomed the sentence handed down to a 45-year-old John Henry Meiring for possession of child pornographic material.
Otola also commended D/Lt Col Marli Strydom for her relentless efforts that led to the apprehension of the accused.
Meiring was sentenced by the De Aar Regional Court on Wednesday.
Meiring was found guilty of possessing pornographic images of children, a discovery made by the South African Police Service's Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations unit, a specialised unit within the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences unit in the Northern Cape.
“The accused's cell phone and hard drives were seized for investigation purposes. During the analysis of these exhibits, 773 pornographic images of children were found on the devices,” Northern Cape police spokesperson, Molefi Shemane said.
Shemane added that addressing crimes against women, children and vulnerable persons remained a top priority for the police in the province.
In a separate incident, Mpumalanga police are investigating after a human skull was found next to the graveyard and railway line in Mbuzini on Tuesday.
“While police were performing their duties, they received information from the community about a human skull found at Hhoyi Trust next to Mbuzini near the Swazi border. Police responded and upon arrival, they found the skull on the ground. Other relevant stakeholders were summoned to the scene. A case of inquest has been opened,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Donald Mdhluli said.
Anyone with information that can assist police can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 0860010111, or SMS Crime Line on 32211.
Cape Times