Media barred from rape trial

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Five people were jailed for more than 20 years in Britain earlier this week for pretending to make a Hollywood blockbuster to secure millions of pounds in tax breaks from the government.

George - The media was barred on Monday from parts of the trial of a Knysna businessman facing 79 charges, including statutory rape.

Prosecutor Evadne Kortje asked that some of the evidence in the Thembalethu Magistrate's Court in George be heard in camera.

She said the evidence, which would be presented by the Cyber Crime Intelligence Unit, could jeopardise the victims' identities and privacy.

Judge Patricia Goliath ruled that the evidence be presented in camera.

Adrian Wilson-Forbes, 60, has pleaded not guilty to charges of statutory rape, abduction, indecent assault, trafficking persons for sexual purposes, and making child pornography.

Wilson-Forbes allegedly abducted an 11-year-old boy from the Garden Route mall in George in 2001.

He apparently took him to a local dam where he allegedly exposed his genitals and offered him money to have sex with him. The boy was allegedly indecently assaulted.

He allegedly offered the boy money to find him young girls for sex and also asked him to take photographs of the sexual acts.

The first two girls were abducted in 2001 and 2002 and aged between eight and nine.

Wilson-Forbes allegedly approached him again in 2012 to find another underage girl.

After the rape of an eight-year-old girl on March 29, Wilson-Forbes' original victim, now an adult, took the photographs of the sexual acts to police. He was arrested in May.

On Monday morning, evidence bags containing personal items belonging to Wilson-Forbes were handed over to the court.

Warrant Officer Anton Jonker testified the bags, which contained clothing, shoes, a cap, glasses and a jar of Vaseline, were originally handed over to the George police for safekeeping. - Sapa