WESTERN CAPE. – A 16-year-old boy from Malmesbury who is facing serious charges has been found fit to stand trial after being admitted to Valkenberg psychiatric hospital for observation for 30 days. The boy is allegedly linked to an international child abuse network.
He previously appeared in the Malmesbury magistrate's court on charges including sexual assault, sexual exploitation of children and the distribution and possession of child pornography. Devices on which explicit images and videos were found were seized during the police investigation.
Eric Ntabazalila, NPA spokesperson, says the case was heard on Tuesday in the Malmesbury magistrate's court for a report-back on the assessment and finalisation of the observation. According to the medical report, the teenager does not suffer from a mental illness or intellectual disability and is fit to stand trial and follow court proceedings. The case has been postponed to 15 October when the bail application will continue.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
