Gerhard Ackerman Biography, Gerhard “Gerrie” Ackerman is suspected of committing a number of serious offenses that span more than a decade, including exposing himself to minors in public restrooms, making child pornography, and raping a juvenile. Additionally, he is accused of organizing a child sex ring in Johannesburg.
On Tuesday, Ackerman, who is 52 years old, appeared before the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. There, he concluded entering his pleas to the 740 accusations that have been brought against him.
Herman Alberts, the legal aid attorney for Ackerman, stated after the defendant had done pleading that his client would not be providing a plea reason.
Before the commencement of the trial on Tuesday, Ackerman voiced his displeasure to News24 on the publishing of his name and photograph in connection with the case. Ackerman believed that the matter should only be discussed in the media if he was proven to be responsible for the crime.
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Gerhard Ackerman Charges breakdown
The majority of the allegations he is facing relate to a child sex ring that he allegedly managed between 2019 and 2021 with the cooperation of senior lawyer and acting judge Paul Kennedy, who passed away by suicide before the trial began. On the other hand, according to the indictment, Ackerman’s alleged binge of criminal activity began in the year 2007.
According to the indictment, the alleged incident took place in December 2007 at or near the ATKV Hartenbos camping site in the Western Cape. It is alleged that Ackerman exposed himself to a kid who was nine years old and his younger brother who was seven years old. After a period of two years, it is said that he exposed himself to the brothers once more.
Ackerman is then said to have masturbated while recording the event that took place at a swimming school in Sunninghill in July of 2018, during which he reportedly exposed himself to a youngster who was 11 years old. Ackerman is accused of fleeing in a car after being accosted by workers at the swimming school, during which he reportedly caused damage to the boom gate that is located at the entrance.
During the same time period as this trial, Ackerman is also accused of coercing a young kid, aged 11, into touching his genitals in a public restroom at a posh country club in Johannesburg. This allegation is not connected to the current prosecution. The youngster was participating in a game of hockey at the country club when we found him there.
Ackerman is presently facing four charges of sexual assault in the case that is being heard at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court, where he is also on trial at this time.
Ackerman was out on bond in the sexual assault case when he allegedly began committing crimes related to the sex ring. At the time, the charges surrounding the event that occurred in the swimming pool had been dropped at the time of the occurrence.
Gerhard Ackerman List of ‘Clients’
The indictment portrays a picture of a child sex ring, in which Ackerman is said to have found young boys, trafficked them, sexually groomed them, and then sold them for the purpose of providing sexual services to a list of “customers.”
The indictment states that he discovered the youngsters by searching for them on Facebook and other social media sites.
According to the allegations, Ackerman would ask the youngsters for sexual photographs and films and would occasionally pay the minors for the content. It has been alleged that he would provide these to his customers, which would include Kennedy.
Ackerman is also accused of trafficking the children and ensuring that they were taken to Johannesburg, where he is accused of grooming them to perform sexual activities and massages on his clients. Ackerman is also accused of using youngsters to sell drugs.
In one of the incidents, Kennedy is believed to have paid for one of the children to take an Uber, and in another, Kennedy is reported to have paid for a bus ticket for one of the children who was the alleged victim.
“The accused, the late accused 2, Paul Kennedy, and/or other clients would themselves participate in obscene sexual actions with the children,” the indictment states. “The youngsters were not aware of the nature of these acts.”
Ackerman is also accused of stealing a portion of the money from the customers who paid for the sexual services that the young victims provided, and in some cases the entirety of the money.
Gerhard Ackerman Child pornography
Ackerman was taken into custody in July of 2021, and according to the allegations that have been made against him, he was found to be in possession of hundreds of movies and photographs of child pornography.
The indictment alleges that a total of 386 photographs and films were discovered on a laptop that was in his possession, in addition to the 253 recordings that were discovered on a mobile phone that he possessed.
The photographs are reported to depict unidentified youngsters who appear to be under the age of 18 appearing naked or partially naked while engaging in sexual behaviors. The minors look to be under the age of 18.
In addition to this, it is alleged that child pornography was discovered in Kennedy’s possession.
Ackerman is also being investigated for the alleged production and dissemination of child pornography. Ackerman and Kennedy were both taken into custody and charged in connection with the alleged offences that took place between 2019 and 2021.
In the first indictment, Kennedy was charged with rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, and coerced rape after it was alleged that he forced one of the teens to have intercourse with an unknown person while he watched. He was also charged with human trafficking.
According to News24, Kennedy took his own life at his home in Johannesburg in February of the previous year, only one week before he was scheduled to appear before the High Court. Following the results of an HIV test that was performed on one of the claimed victims a week earlier, the court had ordered that both of the accused persons undergo testing for the virus.
After Kennedy’s passing, the accusations against him were dismissed, and the indictment was rewritten to reflect the new information. On the other hand, Ackerman is going to have to defend himself in court for the alleged offenses that Kennedy committed, as stated in the indictment that was handed to him on Monday.
This is due to the fact that there is a legal principle known as the concept of common purpose, which states that two accused individuals can be held liable for each other’s actions if those acts come within the scope of the common intent that they had when committing the crimes.
Ackerman has been charged with the alleged crimes that were committed by Kennedy because the state believes that he unlawfully and intentionally assisted and/or encouraged Kennedy to commit the crimes by arranging a meeting and presenting the teenagers to Kennedy. As a result, the state has decided to hold Ackerman accountable for the alleged crimes that Kennedy committed.