The family of the victim, who cannot be named because she was a minor when the crimes occurred, described how their previously happy daughter was targeted by Habib who was posing as a teenage boy.
They described how he isolated her from her family and friends and then bombarded her with belittling, misogynistic and sexually explicit messages, how he exposed her to pornography and how he induced her to create and send self-sexual abuse images and videos.
They expressed their gratitude to the state prosecutor and judge for the conviction which will prevent Habib from having ongoing access to their daughter and his other victims, and will allow her to begin the process of healing.
Her mother testified in court that her daughter had told her in December 2021 that she had met a boy on a social media platform and thought she had done something wrong.
The child's parents had always had an open-door policy with their children and tried always to reserve judgment on matters to see where they would lead.
Coertse said the daughter said she felt she did something wrong by sending Habib, who was allegedly 16 years old, photos of herself.
“She testified that she immediately went worse-case scenario thinking nude images. This was in fact confirmed by the complainant and the images form part and parcel of the bundle of documents that were handed in as exhibit 'D' and to which the accused pleaded guilty to in respect of counts 2 & 3 of the indictment.” Habib pleaded guilty to facilitating and/or assisting the creation and/or production of child-pornography and possession of child pornography.
“Her instinct as a mother, she also referred to it as her 'gut', told her that something was wrong and she told her husband about it. She asked the complainant what the boy’s name was and the name kept on changing from Adam to Qas[im] to Lucas.”
Coertse said the daughter told her mother that the accused was at the Montecasino Hotel and they went there to meet up with him in 2022.
He said the daughter and her father eventually went to the room that was allegedly his room number but could not find him as it was occupied by a lady.
“Later on, when the complainant’s mother saw the accused the first time, she was shocked. He looked young but not 16,” Coertse said.
TimesLIVE
UK citizen who sexually abused Joburg teenager sentenced to 13 years in jail
Image: 123RF/Artit Oubkaew
The Johannesburg high court has sentenced a UK citizen who was found guilty of online sexual abuse and trafficking of a Johannesburg teenager between 2021 and 2022 to an effective 13 years' imprisonment.
The complainant was 14 years old during the commission of offences by Adam Qasib Habib, who was 26.
Habib who targeted the teenager through the now defunct website Omegle, and then groomed and sexually exploited her through WhatsApp and Snapchat, was found guilty in January of eight counts including trafficking, creation and possession of child pornography and compelled self-sexual assault. He was sentenced last week.
Tabitha Lage, founder of Hope Risen Foundation, who counselled the teen and her family and provided expert content in the case, described the judgment as a landmark victory for vulnerable children.
“(Acting) judge (Cornelius) Coertse found that the act of recruiting a child for sexual purposes amounted to trafficking.
“The judge also recognised the harm caused to an innocent teen by this adult man who groomed her and compelled her to both send naked images and videos of herself and to sexually assault herself for his pleasure,” Lage said.
Global organisation Childlight reported that last year alone, more than 300-million children, one in eight globally, were subject to online sexual solicitation online and that cases of online abuse were registered every 10 seconds.
In southern and eastern Africa, where roughly 20% of children have been exposed to online grooming and sexual abuse, this case is the latest in a series focusing on the online sexual exploitation of children. In January, Darren Wilken was arrested for the possession of 10-million sexual abuse images and videos.
Couple accused of selling child sexual abuse material denied bail
The family of the victim, who cannot be named because she was a minor when the crimes occurred, described how their previously happy daughter was targeted by Habib who was posing as a teenage boy.
They described how he isolated her from her family and friends and then bombarded her with belittling, misogynistic and sexually explicit messages, how he exposed her to pornography and how he induced her to create and send self-sexual abuse images and videos.
They expressed their gratitude to the state prosecutor and judge for the conviction which will prevent Habib from having ongoing access to their daughter and his other victims, and will allow her to begin the process of healing.
Her mother testified in court that her daughter had told her in December 2021 that she had met a boy on a social media platform and thought she had done something wrong.
The child's parents had always had an open-door policy with their children and tried always to reserve judgment on matters to see where they would lead.
Coertse said the daughter said she felt she did something wrong by sending Habib, who was allegedly 16 years old, photos of herself.
“She testified that she immediately went worse-case scenario thinking nude images. This was in fact confirmed by the complainant and the images form part and parcel of the bundle of documents that were handed in as exhibit 'D' and to which the accused pleaded guilty to in respect of counts 2 & 3 of the indictment.” Habib pleaded guilty to facilitating and/or assisting the creation and/or production of child-pornography and possession of child pornography.
“Her instinct as a mother, she also referred to it as her 'gut', told her that something was wrong and she told her husband about it. She asked the complainant what the boy’s name was and the name kept on changing from Adam to Qas[im] to Lucas.”
Coertse said the daughter told her mother that the accused was at the Montecasino Hotel and they went there to meet up with him in 2022.
He said the daughter and her father eventually went to the room that was allegedly his room number but could not find him as it was occupied by a lady.
“Later on, when the complainant’s mother saw the accused the first time, she was shocked. He looked young but not 16,” Coertse said.
TimesLIVE
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