By Sholain Govender
The state has dropped all charges of public indecency against a group of men who were arrested at a private gay club last year.
Gerald Rissik, 43, Peter Johannes Bester, 27, Lodewyk George Aylward, 40, Cornie Diederick Uys 30, Ockert van der Berg, 43, Christopher Johannes Denton, 35, Herominus Christiaan Ipland, 52, Pieter van Wyk, 29, Godwin Roy Perks, 41, Petrus Gabriel Horn, 37, Marius Johannes Haarman, 30, Chris Adriaan Steyn, 41, and Craig Russels Stanton, 38, were arrested at Camp David Club in Alphen Park during a police raid in November.
Owner Daniel Johannes Haarman, 49, of Garsfontein was also arrested.
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The 14 accused were outside the Hatfield community court on Thursday morning.
At about 10am, the state withdrew all charges, after the state witnesses failed to appear.
When the police raided the club on November 17, they were met by men wearing only shoes.
At the time of the arrest, police alleged that the venue was registered as a public club and therefore the nudity of those arrested was regarded as a contravention of the Sexual Offences Act.
Police said they also confiscated suspected pornographic material, chemical substances and Viagra during the raid.
In February this year, the Pretoria High Court turned down an application by the club owners to have the police raid declared unlawful.
The owners had asked the court to set aside the search-and-seizure warrants.
They stated in court papers that Camp David was a members-only club and that all potential members had to first undergo a screening process.
They said there were two security doors to the venue and a person could only enter after he had had his identity verified.
Rissik said it was only after several pictures were taken of them that the men were instructed to get dressed and lie on the floor.
The owners also obtained an urgent court order, in November, against a weekly newspaper to ensure it did not publish any of the pictures taken by its reporter of those arrested.
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This article was originally published on page 2 of Pretoria News on March 30, 2007
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