Photographer a paedophile, court hears

Photographer, Rudolph Coetzee, has been clinically diagnosed as being a paedophile, where he is sexually aroused by prepubescent children. Photo: Soraya Crowie

Photographer, Rudolph Coetzee, has been clinically diagnosed as being a paedophile, where he is sexually aroused by prepubescent children. Photo: Soraya Crowie

Published Jun 23, 2015

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Kimberley - Kimberley photographer Rudolph Coetzee has been clinically diagnosed as being a paedophile, where he is sexually aroused by prepubescent children.

Pre-sentencing reports that were compiled by a probation officer and forensic psychologist were presented in the Northern Cape High Court on Monday.

Coetzee pleaded guilty to five charges of rape, two charges of attempted rape, 16 charges of sexual assault and 22 counts of manufacturing child pornography. The incidents took place at his home studio in Kimberley, where he ran a professional photographic business, RCR Photography and Printing.

Four young children between the ages of three and 12 years were photographed naked as well as engaging in sexual acts with the accused between 2010 and 2014.

One of the children was raped twice and most of his victims were known to him.

During interviews with the psychologist, Coetzee explained that while he initially wanted to manufacture ordinary porn for financial gain because “sex sells”, he had found that it was easier to persuade children to be his models.

He also said that he found a gap in the market after coming across a child porn website in 2009 and noticed that twice as many users visited these sites.

He added that did not know any adult models and was restricted by “constraints on the website”.

He therefore photographed a child that he knew because it was easer to convince him.

Coetzee said he had never thought of having sex while photographing the children. He said that he never went beyond the point when a minor did not wish to “take it any further” because he did not want them to suffer mentally.

At the time he was only thinking of the benefits his business would yield and was excited by the feeling of power and authority. He later thought of ideas where he and the children were involved but never sold the sexually explicit material.

Coetzee acknowledged to being attracted to both male and female children as well as adults.

He also admitted to masturbating, using the child porn that he had manufactured.

The children have been left emotionally scarred and many have had to repeat their school grades on three occasions. Many of the victims, who come from broken homes, are displaying aggressive behaviour and have turned to drugs, alcohol and bad influences as means of dealing with the trauma.

Most of the children stay in the same neighbourhood in Florianville, while their parents were friends or acquaintances of Coetzee’s mother.

 

State advocate Ronewa Makhaga stated that the police forensic psychologist’s report showed that the accused had poor prospects for rehabilitation.

The report indicated that the accused downplayed his actions and kept shifting his attraction towards young children.

“The accused’s remorse was diluted by a lack of genuine emotion although he did show regret for his behaviour as well as concern for the victims and their families. Patients diagnosed with paedophilic disorder are likely to reoffend and will at some point act upon their desires and attraction to children.”

The report also stated that paedophilic disorder was applicable because the accused had acted upon recurrent urges involving sexual acts with children, under the age of 13 years for a period exceeding six months.

High risk factors that will contribute to a reoccurrence of the offences include the abuse of male victims, the involvement of more than two minor victims, acquaintances known to the accused and the absence of a stable romantic relationship with an adult.

Makhaga said the report indicated that it was evident that the children were groomed, where they were bribed with gifts and threatened into not telling anyone about the sexual abuse. “The accused was a professional photographer who had unsupervised access to children and also worked at a crèche.”

He added that Coetzee used the photographs both as a tool for sexual stimulation, as well as a means to deter his victims from telling anyone about the embarrassing evidence.

“In one instance he bought a bicycle for a boy, whom he showed pornographic material to. The victim was not allowed to take the bicycle home but was allowed to use it whenever he visited the accused at his home.”

The mother of a six-year-old girl was instructed to wait outside during her photo session where she was indecently fondled. She was too scared to report the incident and is struggling to overcome her ordeal.

One of the boys, who is now dependent on drugs, acknowledged that Coetzee had “played with his genitals”.

“The boy felt powerless and was afraid that the accused would hurt or rape him,” Makhaga said.

Many of the children did not report the sexual abuse. Their parents only found out about it after they identified their children’s clothes from the photographs that were presented to them.

Parents were worried about their children because they were experiencing constant nightmares.

They have broken off all contact with the accused and his mother.

“I don’t know how my child will survive such an unfortunate experience.”

Another parent added that she believed Coetzee was a “friend and responsible” person. “My child is aggressive, is performing badly at school and gets angry when he hears anything about the case. He avoids talking about the issue.”

State advocate Jacques Rosenberg said the affected children came from homes that were impoverished and riddled by drug and alcohol abuse, according to the social worker’s victim impact reports.

The children were brought up by their grandparents or single mothers, who frequented the home of the accused, who lived with his mother.

He said the incidents took place while the children were left in the care of the accused. During at least two incidents, the children’s caregivers visited the McGregor Museum with the accused’s mother.

The accused would watch television with the children and they would receive clothing and toys after visiting the house.

Rosenberg stated that, according to the social worker’s report, the children were behind in their social, interpersonal and cognitive development due to the early exposure to sexual activity.

The children were unable to process what had happened to them and complained of constant health problems and tension headaches.

Some of the victims role-played by mimicking sexual movements in the bath and made sexual suggestions towards their parents.

“The children felt guilty and blamed themselves for being victims of sexual abuse although they were powerless to stop it and showed signs of anxiety, helplessness and depression.”

He added that the children suffered from low self-esteem and felt betrayed by someone whom they considered to be a father figure.

The social worker described the victims as mostly being introverted, sensitive, deeply emotional and creative children.

Following the incidents, the boys abandoned their usual circle of friends. “The children were too ashamed to tell anyone that they had been sexually abused.”

One of the children wondered if the photographs would be published in the newspaper where they would be admonished. “In some cases this was the only attention that these children received although they realised that it was not acceptable,” Rosenberg stated.

Eyewitnesses said Coetzee would become angry when he did not get his way and that his mother would always try to please him.

The accused expressed a desire for psychological treatment although he had not received any counselling during his time in custody since 2014 at Kimberley Correctional Centre because he had not been sentenced yet.

The report also noted a lack of genuine drive to access assistance and advised that Coetzee posed a high risk to children and recommended that he attends intensive psychotherapy.

Coetzee’s legal representative, advocate Van Zyl Nel from Legal Aid South Africa, stated that his client had no previous convictions.

The probation officer recommended that, due to the seriousness of the offences, that Coetzee be sentenced to direct imprisonment.

The probation officer’s report gave details of how Coetzee was raised by his mother, following the death of his father when he was nine years old.

His mother, Elmarie Coetzee, a teacher in Homevale, described her son as being generous, soft-hearted, having a good relationship with his siblings and people in general and socialised easily with others.

Coetzee preferred to be alone and felt that he “did not fit in easily” following the death of his father. He had to “work hard” while his twin sister and elder brother received preferential treatment.

Nel indicated that the accused showed remorse and accepted responsibility for his actions.

“He knew that by denying the charges, it would not assist anything. He knew what he did was wrong and understood the gravity of the offences.”

Judge President Frans Kgomo postponed the matter until September 8.

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