Child rapist found guilty

A transatlantic partnership between SA and US authorities led to a Durban paedophile being convicted on more than 3 000 counts in the Durban Magistrate’s Court, says a report in The Independent on Saturday. Bluff resident Wayne Parkes (47) was found guilty of creating 1 517 child pornography images and possessing 1 770, as well as two counts of child rape relating to a six-year-old. This comes after US Homeland Security red-flagged suspicious activity on a child pornography website and alerted police in this country in November 2016. ‘US Homeland Security received information from one of its domestic offices that an individual in the US may have made contact with a user in SA,’ Magistrate Karen Moopenar said, summarising the case. The report notes sentencing process will start on 15 June.

Full report in The Independent on Saturday (subscription needed)