FREE STATE. – Christiaan Francisco Fortleza van der Linde (37) has been sentenced to three life sentences in the Welkom Regional Court after pleading guilty to 119 charges related to the sexual abuse and exploitation of three minors. He was found guilty of rape, human trafficking, sexual assault, kidnapping and crimes involving child pornography. The crimes took place over a period from 2015 to 2024.
Mojalefa Senokoatsane, NPA regional spokesperson, said the court imposed two life sentences for the rape of minors and a third for human trafficking. Van der Linde also received several additional prison sentences, including 15 years for attempted murder, ten years for the sexual exploitation of children and ten years for the distribution of child pornographic material. The additional sentences will run concurrently with the life sentences.
According to the NPA, Van der Linde approached his first victim, who was between 12 and 17 years old at the time, through a relationship of trust and repeatedly groomed, sexually abused and raped the child between 2015 and 2020. He also used the child to produce pornographic material which he later sold and distributed on a pornographic website.
Between 2022 and 2024 he targeted a second child, who was between 11 and 14 years old, in a similar manner. After the crimes came to light, he kidnapped that child and engaged in human trafficking. He also attempted to take the child's life in an incident involving an attempted murder-suicide. The NPA said he then damaged electronic devices and destroyed evidence to obstruct the course of justice. The second child was also manipulated to produce pornographic material of a third minor without that child's knowledge.
The state, represented by advocate Elma van Niekerk, opposed the defence's request that the court deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence. The court accepted the state's argument and found that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify a lighter sentence. Victim impact statements outlined the emotional and psychological trauma of the children and their families. According to the NPA, two of the victims developed suicidal tendencies.
The court also ordered that Van der Linde's details be placed on the National Register for Sex Offenders. He has been declared unfit to possess a firearm, may not work with children and is prohibited from possessing or using electronic devices while serving his sentence.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
