Durban - As he made his way into the court to plead guilty to 230 charges of possession and creation of child pornography, former high school drama teacher Colin Chapman refused to make eye contact with the man sitting in the public gallery.
In front of him was the magistrate who would send him to jail for three years for the crimes he had committed against two of his former teenage pupils over the past few years.
Behind him sat his past – the man who was in Grade 7 20 years ago when Chapman indecently assaulted him.
That was Chapman’s first brush with the law and in 2003 he was given a five-year suspended sentence and 18 months’ correctional supervision.
The man, who cannot be named, was also one of Chapman’s pupils, at a school in Hillcrest.
Now living in Johannesburg, he flew to Durban on Thursday to confront his former teacher and to see justice done.
“He saw me. I know it. But he refused to look at me. He’s a wimp.
“It’s been 20 years since I last set eyes on him. When I heard he had been arrested again, I wasn’t surprised. I knew he was still doing it. I am just glad he has gone to jail and that now he won’t be able to teach again.”
Chapman, now 50, was arrested last year, but up until now he has not been named because of laws which prohibit this until he pleads to the charges.
A popular teacher for 23 years, Chapman resigned as the drama teacher at Durban High School in December 2013 and was running the school’s Seabrooke’s Theatre.
On Thursday, he spent the morning crying, sometimes loudly, as he waited to be called before Durban Regional Court magistrate Wendy Robinson where, in a broken voice, he pleaded guilty to 230 charges relating to possession and creation of child pornography, sexual exploitation and grooming of children and using children to create pornography.
The charges relate to two boys who were 15 and 17 at the time of the offences.
According to the written plea agreement with the State, read by his attorney, Nerissa Farrington, he paid both boys to send him naked pictures of themselves.
He invited the 17-year-old to his home and took pictures of him naked and took videos of him showering.
He groomed the 15-year-old by sending him biscuits, sweets and chocolates. He paid him R200 for a picture of his penis and R500 for a video clip of him masturbating.
Neither victims nor their families attended court on Thursday but agreed to the plea agreement, “an indication that they had forgiven him”, it was submitted in mitigation of sentence.
“He is genuinely contrite about his actions. He is suffering from major depression and has been seeing a psychologist to address his issues and rehabilitate,” Farrington said.
Prosecutor Jerome Gnanapragas said Chapman’s victims were “vulnerable” and he had been in a position of trust.
“This type of offence has devastating effects on children. They are humiliating and degrading.
“But he always said he would plead guilty to spare his victims from having to testify,” he said.
He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in terms of legislation which could see him released from jail in about three months to serve the balance under house arrest.
He was also declared unfit to work with children and his name will be placed on the sex offenders register.
He also has to pay R100 000 to the Open Door Crisis Care Centre, which assists victims of sexual crimes.
DHS headmaster Leon Erasmus declined to comment on Thursday, saying he would do so internally to the DHS community soon.
*Comments have been closed to protect the identity of the minors mentioned in the article.
The Mercury