A 16-year-old Malmesbury boy accused of child sex crimes has been found fit to stand trial.
A report from Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital, handed in at the Malmesbury Magistrate’s Court on Monday, found that he has no mental illness and no intellectual disability. He can follow the proceedings, the report found.
He may not be named because he is a minor. Magistrate Anthony McKenzie has sealed the charge sheet and every order in the case. Proceedings are held behind closed doors to protect the accused, the complainants and his family.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the boy was booked into the hospital for 30 days of observation. “The medical report indicates that he does not have any mental illness and has no intellectual disability,” Ntabazalila said. “He was found to be fit to stand trial and to follow the proceedings.”
The boy was admitted to Valkenberg on 1 September. McKenzie ordered the observation in August after a district surgeon examined him two days after his first court appearance.
He was arrested on 17 August at a house on a golf estate in Malmesbury. The arrest followed a tip to South African police from the FBI, the United States embassy in Pretoria and the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators have linked him to the online network known as 764.
He faces 15 charges. They include sexual grooming of a child, compelled sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a child, and the creation, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. He is also charged with sending a data message inciting violence, and with animal cruelty.
He has not applied for bail since his arrest. The matter was postponed to next Thursday for a bail application. He is being held at a place of safety.
