JOHANNESBURG - MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO 800 CHARGES INCLUDING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY & RAPE

Johannesburg - An East Rand car salesman has pleaded guilty to 800 charges, including rape and possession of child pornography.

Dressed in a black shirt, with wooden rosary beads hanging around his neck, Warren Troy Knoop appeared in the High Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning.

Members of Women and Men Against Child Abuse filled the court, while two witnesses also followed proceedings from the court gallery.

Judge Cassim Moosa told Knoop that the court needed a fair opportunity to peruse the plea and sentence agreement from the State and defence teams, to see if it was in the interests of justice.

The matter was initially set down for 25 to 30 days, however, Moosa said it would now take approximately 10 days.

"Justice must not only be seen to be done, it must be done," Moosa said.

Targets

Knoop was arrested at his workplace in October 2015. According to the charge sheet, he faces multiple changes of child porn, rape, sexual assault and producing porn.

Several laptops, external hard drives, cellphones, memory cards, a DVD, PlayStation console and a mini spy-camera, believed to belong to Knoop, were seized during the raid.

According to Women and Men Against Child Abuse, Knoop preyed on single mothers and their children.

The anti-abuse group claimed Knoop had attempted to distribute these images internationally.

He was apprehended after an alert was raised by the United States' Homeland Security unit.

He is expected to appear in court again on Friday.

VIA - news24