Child sex ring kingpin on trial for more than 700 charges has 'disappeared' - NPA

The Johannesburg high court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Andre Gerhard Ackerman for failure to appear in court on Thursday, citing ill health.

Ackerman faces 740 charges ranging from rape, attempted murder, distribution of child porn, and human trafficking of minor children for sexual exploitation. The trial against him resumed on Monday.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Louw-Mjonondwanesaid state advocate Valencia Dube had approached the court with an urgent application on Saturday to have Ackerman's bail revoked after his failure to comply with a court order to furnish the state with a doctor's note on Friday.

“The investigation team visited his place of residence after realising that the accused has become unreachable. On arrival, they found that the accused moved out and sold all his movable assets. He has since disappeared, which is a contravention of the bail conditions,” Louw-Mjonondwane said.

Ackerman was granted R6,000 bail by the Johannesburg magistrate's court in 2021 on condition he report to the nearest police station on a daily basis, he not leave Gauteng without permission from the investigating officer and not be in possession of a laptop or cellphone to access the internet.

“Ackerman is alleged to have worked with his co-accused, acting judge Paul Kennedy, who has since committed suicide, in an alleged sex ring that lured young boys. These young boys were allegedly sexually groomed, raped and exposed to pornographic material.”

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