An East London man convicted for unlawfully accessing, viewing and downloading child pornography said he did not understand the “true impact of what I was doing, that of what the minors had gone through in the production of this material”.
Ian Kloot, from Quigney, in his guilty plea in the regional court this week, admitted knowing his actions were wrongful and unlawful.
He is due to be sentenced on Thursday.
The 52-year-old was arrested by members of the serial and electronic crime investigations head office (SECI) in the Eastern Cape, together with the department of homeland security investigations from the US Embassy during a crackdown on online child sexual predators in SA in March 2024.
The operation started in 2023 after SA law enforcement authorities were informed of the existence of the group by US law enforcement authorities.
Arguing before magistrate Merwin Meyer on Wednesday, advocate Vuyokazi Sam, for the state, said Kloot used three email addresses to access the sites.
Sam said it was discovered he was not part of a syndicate that made the videos or distributed them.
She questioned what was going through the mind of Kloot when he watched the explicit videos where children were clearly being harmed.
“The offence is so heinous in nature. What is worse is that each time he went to the site he was perpetuating the violence the makers of the videos did to the children.
“It just doesn’t make sense for an adult to be appeased by an abuse of a children ...
“He didn’t stop on his own accord,” Sam said.
Sam argued for a custodial sentence, part of which could be suspended.
She called for Kloot to be declared unfit to possess a firearm.
She also applied for material confiscated from Kloot during his arrest to remain the property of the state, which was opposed by attorney Andre Schoombee for Kloot.
Schoombee said Kloot had played open cards with law enforcement and intended to plead guilty.
Schoombee argued against direct imprisonment, rather proposing a fine, adding that his client showing remorse, not wasting state resources and pleading guilty should also be taken into account.
In his guilty plea, Kloot said he accessed, downloaded and watched child pornography using his smartphone from online chat groups.
He admitted that his “acts were so blatant and obvious that it was only a matter of time before I was investigated”.
“I did not share such material with any third party at any time as it was for my sole private use only. I certainly did not distribute it.
“My actions [were] despicable and I am extremely remorseful and embarrassed, and it has had a profound impact on my family.”
Schoombee said Kloot was taking care of his ailing mother and unemployed brother.
“He didn’t comprehend fully what the victims were going through,” he argued.
“He is more petrified of what’s going to happen to his ailing mother than to him. His actions from day one show remorse.”
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.