‘Sex pest’ is suicidal: Teacher ‘lured’ meisie on TikTok
|Published
APPEARED: Ashton Fransman, 25, was in the Wynberg Court. Picture supplied
A Grassy Park teaching assistant, who has been accused of raping a 10-year-old pupil, started following the girl on TikTok before they exchanged cellphone numbers.
This was revealed at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday when Ashton Fransman, 25, made his first appearance after being arrested at his home in Ottery last week.
The court also heard that Fransman is now suicidal and may consider taking his own life in Pollsmoor Prison.
He is accused of sexually grooming the primary school meisie while working at her school earlier this year.
Grassy Park SAPS commander Dawood Laing said her mother came to the police station and showed officers her child’s cellphone which was filled with sexual messages, graphic images and videos sent between her and Fransman.
As the girl cannot legally consent to sex, he was charged with rape and Laing said further investigation into his cellphone revealed that there are other young victims.
Standing in the dock wearing a blue tracksuit top and grey sweatpants, Fransman appeared calm as he stood before magistrate Goolam Bawa.
During court proceedings, the State prosecutor revealed that the charges included four counts of raping a minor, one count of attempted rape of a minor, sexual assault and sexual grooming.
The prosecutor also revealed that Fransman followed the girl on her TikTok page before he asked for her number.
“The State is opposing the accused’s release on bail. The accused followed the female minor on TikTok and in August, it became more serious when the chats moved to WhatsApp,” the prosecutor added.
But Bawa interrupted, saying the details of the case did not need to be aired in court to protect the child’s dignity.
He then wanted to know if Fransman knew the child from school and if she positively identified him on the rape charges, which the prosecutor confirmed.
Addressing Bawa, Fransman’s lawyer agreed that it was a Schedule 6 bail application but then requested that his client’s shoelaces be removed in jail as he might kill himself with it.
“I want to bring it under the court’s attention that my client has suicidal tendencies and was last with his shoelaces on. Can this be noted to the prison authorities.”
When probed by Bawa, the lawyer claimed that although Fransman’s family was aware that he had “suicidal tendencies” he had never been treated for it before his arrest.
The case was postponed to November 24 for a formal bail application while cops continue their investigation into the identities of other minors found on Fransman’s phone.