Durban - A Durban teacher pleaded guilty to 230 child pornography charges in the Durban Regional Court on Thursday.
Colin Chapman, who was a theatre manager at Durban Boys High School, and did relief teaching at a number of Durban schools, pleaded guilty to charges of possession of child pornography, the creation of child pornography, the exploitation of children and the grooming of children.
Magistrate Wendolyn Robinson sentenced him to three years imprisonment as part of a plea agreement that was reached between the State and Chapman.
She also ordered that his name be entered on the sexual offenders register and he be declared unfit to work with children.
He was also ordered to pay R100 000 to a charity and attend a sex offenders rehabilitation programme.
While Chapman did not physically abuse his two victims aged 15 and 17 years, he groomed them persuading them to take pictures, videos of themselves partially naked and on occasion performing acts of self gratification.
He would pay them for the pictures and video clips.
Up until Chapman, 50, pleaded he could not be named.
The court heard that Chapman had had a previous conviction in 2003 for the indecent assault of a minor for which he was handed a five year suspended sentence.
Prosecutor Jerome Gnanapragas said that while the offences were serious, the fact that Chapman had pleaded guilty had saved the two teenagers from having to face the embarrassing and trying situation of testifying in open court.
*Comments have been closed to protect the identity of the minors mentioned in the article.
ANA