Seven months after Corné van Rooyen was arrested and charged with 200 counts of child pornography, he is fighting for bail, after it was denied.
Van Rooyen has appealed his failed bail application in the Cape Town High Court.
Judgment was reserved on Friday.
Van Rooyen was arrested on January 18, 2024 at his home in Belmony Park in Kraaifontein.
He was denied bail in March 2024.
Van Rooyen was arrested by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and US Homeland Security Law.
Police seized his cellphone that allegedly contained 149,000 child porn images and he had 6,000 videos in his possession.
He was also allegedly found with two unlicensed firearms, three snakes he kept illegally, as well as dogs that were kept in unacceptable conditions without water and or access to drinking water, which in turn was an act of cruelty to animals.
The 31-year-old works as an assessor for an insurance company and said he has family that live nearby in Kraaifontein on a farm.
He said he owns property, three vehicles and has no travel documents.
In its argument, the State said even though the accused was a first offender, the plethora of illegal activities allegedly committed by Van Rooyen cannot be understated.
“The voluminous child pornography collection including videos and images cannot be understated.”
The State further argued that the community of Kraaifontein is shocked, disappointed and outraged at the accused living among them, and granting him bail may lead to public disorder which could compromise the safety of the accused.
They further argued that there was a school on his road, and granting Van Rooyen bail, “will perpetuate and condone the reality and misconceptions of society that these are faceless offences, when in fact it is a cancerous tumour eating away at our future, our children”.
In his heads of argument, Van Rooyen said that the magistrate had erred in his finding, relying on what he described as unsubstantiated speculation of the investigating officer.
He also argued that the magistrate made such a finding without the consideration of his personal circumstances which showed that he owns a house and a bond for 12 years and is employed for over 22 years.
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