Africa-Press – South-Africa. A teenager who was part of a child sex abuse ring run by convicted paedophile and rapist Gerhard Ackerman has been diagnosed with full-blown Aids.
This was revealed in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg during sentencing proceedings on Tuesday.
In arguing for aggravation of sentence, State prosecutor advocate Valencia Dube placed it on record that one of the victims, who was 16 years old when he was raped by Ackerman and well-known senior advocate and acting judge, Paul Kennedy, had been diagnosed with Aids.
She added that the victim’s medication had been increased and was advised that there was a chance of kidney failure.
Dube said:
The teenager was the only victim to reveal his HIV status to the court during the trial.
Dube asked the court to consider the victims’ statements about Ackerman, as she did not want to burden the teenagers by calling them to testify again.
Ackerman was found guilty on three charges of attempted murder, relating to victims he sent to Kennedy, who was HIV-positive.
The court found that Ackerman had sold the sexual services of minors to Kennedy, even though he knew that the advocate was HIV-positive.
Kennedy HIV positive
Kennedy was arrested alongside Ackerman on charges of unlawful possession of child pornography, which soon expanded to hundreds of charges, including rape of minors, sexual assault, human trafficking and the sexual grooming of children.
On 1 February 2022, Dube asked the High Court for an order that both Ackerman and Kennedy be tested for HIV.
This was after one of the minor complainants had tested positive for the virus, prompting the State to investigate whether either accused could be charged with attempted murder.
The court granted the order and postponed the case to 28 February.
A week before both accused were due back in court, where the State would have placed on record that the tests were done and they would be amending the charge sheet to add attempted murder charges, Kennedy died by suicide in his Johannesburg home.
Ackerman knew Kennedy’s status
Kennedy knew about his diagnosis long before the court-mandated tests.
In WhatsApp conversations between the two men, which formed part of the State’s evidence, Kennedy disclosed his status to Ackerman.
This was while Kennedy was hospitalised for Covid-19 and blood tests revealed he was HIV-positive.
Before his death, Kennedy had been charged with three counts of rape.
In terms of the timelines, Ackerman delivered three teenagers to Kennedy’s house after the conversation confirming his HIV status.
While Ackerman was not accused of possibly infecting the teenagers himself, he was found guilty of the crimes committed by Kennedy through the doctrine of common purpose.
Kennedy knew the jig was up
While convicting Ackerman, who faced more than 700 charges, Judge Ismail Mohamed also commented on Kennedy’s involvement, saying that the advocate was an active participant in the running of a child sex abuse ring and that he killed himself because he realised his days were numbered when he was arrested.
“Finally, I need to say something about the role played by Mr Kennedy in this matter. One is inclined not to say unfavourable and negative things about a person who departed this world, however, I would be remiss in my duty if I were to skirt the issue.”
Ismail said:
Ismail added that the court was duty-bound to make this statement, so that the victims could get closure regarding the role played by Kennedy.
Crime
In addition to attempted murder, Ackerman was also found guilty of the human trafficking of minors, rape, sexual grooming, sexual exploitation of children, possession and creation of child pornography, and compelled rape.
This was in relation to the child sex abuse ring he ran in Johannesburg, which fronted as a massage parlour.
The court found that Ackerman had trafficked teenage boys, sexually groomed them, and then coerced them into performing sexual acts on clients in exchange for money.
Ackerman will be sentenced on 14 August.
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