Cape Town - Local high school girls have been implicated in shocking pornography, which sees them crushing small creatures to death while performing sexual acts, prompting an outcry.
The SPCA, police and the provincial education department have all been alerted, with provincial SPCA head Allan Perrins confirming that charges of cruelty to animals are likely to be laid.
The shocking video clips, one of which Weekend Argus has been shown, have gone viral. They are circulating via links on social media and pornographic websites.
Just over a minute long, the clip is titled “Squishing Nemo” and sees one of the girls stomping live fish to death as she has sex with a man.
On Saturday education spokeswoman Bronagh Casey confirmed the girl, as well as a second girl in the clip, are pupils at Edgemead High School.
Perrins also confirmed Edgemead High was the school the girls attended.
A source told Weekend Argus the two pupils were expelled after staff uncovered the video.
In the clip one of the girls, using the alias “London”, engages in a sexual act with the man while the second girl takes a live fish out of a pot. She places the fish under London’s foot. London stomps it to death before continuing to have sex.
The girl shows no remorse, and can be seen smiling and laughing during the video.
Several more of London’s videos can be found on an internet porn site dedicated to the fetish.
The so-called “crush videos” involve fish and other small animals being crushed to death or seriously injured while people engage in sexual activity. Women often wear high heels, apparently to see the creatures suffer as much as possible. The creatures often suffer broken limbs, and can even be set alight.
In another of London’s videos, both she and the other girl are wearing Edgemead High uniforms.
Weekend Argus alerted the education department to the videos on Saturday, and Casey confirmed that while the girls were Edgemead High pupils, the clips were not shot on the school’s premises.
“We… will investigate immediately. Reports of the video being shot on the school grounds have not been proven.
“However, we will… take the appropriate steps,including counselling for the girls,” she said, adding that the matter had been reported to the police.
Perrins said he had been alerted to the video clips early last week by one of his inspectors.
“We launched our own investigation and at this point have not taken any action. However, if we are able to confirm the reports, it is very likely that charges of cruelty will be laid,” he said.
On Friday, the National Prosecuting Authority said during a meeting in Khayelitsha on child pornography and cyber safety that teenagers should be made aware that producing and distributing sex videos was a crime.
Advocate Bonnie Currie-Gamwo said the number of sex videos being made by teenagers was increasing, and was a major concern in the Western Cape.
She added that those prosecuted could face up to 10 years in jail, despite their status as minors.
In 2007, the country was gripped by a porn craze which saw teenagers making sex tapes, which went viral. The videos sparked outrage and the education department had the pupils involved separated from their fellow pupils to write their exams.
Crush porn made global headlines in October when three girls from the Philippines were shown stomping a puppy to death.
Sunday Tribune