The case against a man, set to face more than 179 000 charges relating to child pornography, could be struck off the roll
following a charge sheet bungle in the Knysna Regional Court.
The 38-year-old Plettenberg Bay-based computer engineer was arrested in January last year after international police swooped on his seaside home where they allegedly found files containing thousands of images and videos of child porn as well as internet addresses of more than 300 other alleged paedophiles.
Yesterday, defence counsel Carl Jeppe, for the computer engineer who cannot be named until he has pleaded, asked for the matter to be struck off the roll.
Prosecutor Chamelle Bastian indicated that she had received instruction from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) that the suspect would be individually charged for each of the 179 000 images and that formulating the charge sheet would take at least two to three months.
Jeppe said this was unacceptable.
Bastian said that the DPP had decided that each image would also have to be described in the charge sheet.
Jeppe said it was puzzling as the law allowed for all the images to be included in one count.
Magistrate Eugenia Jacobs agreed. She allowed for one final postponement.
“I urge that those involved in this case get their house in order otherwise there will be no other option but to strike the matter from the roll,” Jacobs said.
The matter was postponed to November 30.