Cape Town - Convicted paedophile Anthony Peter Freedendal, who is wanted in Australia in connection with 24 child sex offences, faces five life terms plus 150 years behind bars in that country, documents before the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court have revealed.
The documents were included in a bundle of papers the Australian government sent to South African authorities when it requested Freedendal’s arrest ahead of a formal application for his extradition.
Freedendal is serving a sentence in Pollsmoor Prison in connection with the sexual abuse of eight children locally - conduct he pleaded guilty to more than a year ago. In terms of a plea and sentencing agreement he was sentenced to five years in jail in terms of Section 276(1)(i) of the Criminal Procedure Act, which meant he only had to serve 10 months behind bars and the remainder under correctional supervision.
Read: 24 foreign charges await sex offender
He has made several appearances before the parole board and in July it confirmed his release date for August 5.
But this was revoked at the 11th hour after it emerged he was wanted in Australia. A magistrate in Pretoria issued a warrant for his arrest after being notified of the Australian government’s request.
This week, for the first time, details of the allegations against Freedendal emerged in documents the Australian authorities had sent to South Africa.
Senior Australian police constable Mary Louise Octoman said Freedendal was sought in connection with charges including 15 of indecent assault, five of persistent sexual exploitation of a child and four of unlawful sexual intercourse. The offences were allegedly committed from June 1999 to January 2003. The alleged victims were aged 7 to 11 and includes a 9-year-old intellectually disabled girl, a 7-year-old boy, a girl allegedly abused between the ages of 8 and 11, and four other girls.
According to Octoman, Freedendal threatened to kill the parents of one of the girls if she did not obey his order to “get on the ground”. He allegedly raped her.
Freedendal was apprehended at a supermarket in Port Lincoln in July 2011 and was formally arrested after he was questioned. He also provided a DNA sample.
Freedendal was released on bail and allowed to visit South Africa on condition he return to Australia by November 21 that year for his next court appearance. He left the country on August 13 that year and did not return.
South Australian authorities discovered he was in Cape Town after they found he was jailed for sexually abusing children who attended the church he went to. They pounced shortly before his release date.
The case was postponed so his attorney William Booth could take instructions from him on the defence’s attitude towards the application for his extradition.
Weekend Argus