Cape Town - William Beale, the man convicted on 18 644 charges of possession of child pornography, has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars.
Sentencing was handed down at the Thembalethu Regional Court in George on Tuesday.
Beale was found guilty of being in possession of 18 644 images of child pornography in a that has been going on for nearly three years.
It's the heaviest sentence handed down to date for the possession of child pornography, according to Women and Men Against Child Abuse.
Beale was arrested on January, 13, 2015. He was the first suspect to be arrested in South Africa as part of an international police operation called Cloud 9 which clamped down on a global child pornography ring.
Also read: Man convicted of 18 644 child porn charges to be sentenced
Women And Men Against Child Abuse has been actively monitoring Beale’s case.
"Due to the sheer volume of child sexual abuse images, it took three years for William Beale to be sentenced on 18 644 charges of possession of child pornography, but today Magistrate Eugenia Jacobs delivered the heaviest sentence seen to date in South Africa for the possession of child pornography, as Beale was handed down 15 years imprisonment – the maximum sentence allowed a regional court," the group said in a statement.
William Beale, convicted on 18 644 counts of possession of child pornography was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in George on Tuesday. Picture: Supplied/Joanne Barrett
"WMACA’s most hearfelt thank you to the Antwerp Police Child Sexual Exploitation Unit’s Chief Inspector Tim van Eester, SAPS Lt. Col. Heila Niemand and Det. Sgt Delene Grobler-Koonin of the Serial Electronic Crime Investigation Unit and Magistrate Eugenia Jacobs for their concerted efforts in bringing Beale to justice.
"In her sentencing at Thembalethu Regional Court in George, Magistrate Jacobs reaffirmed a number of key facts and in doing so, echoed WMACA’s sentiment in this regard. She acknowledged the seriousness of the crimes depicted in the images, stating that children's best interests are of paramount importance, and that these images were full of voiceless victims, many of them who couldn’t even walk yet.
"It was pointed out that there have been an increase both in the number of these cases as well as the number of sexual violence cases that are seen in court, and that a strong message had to be sent, as Beale was part of a community that promoted this industry, and there is a need to clamp down on these offenders.
William Beale, convicted on 18 644 counts of possession of child pornography was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in George on Tuesday. Picture: Supplied/Joanne Barrett
"Women And Men Against Child Abuse have been actively monitoring Beale’s case as part of the international ‘Take Down Cloud 9’ operation from the first day, both through our Johannesburg and Cape representatives;- and even with 20 years of experience in the Child Abuse service & advocacy spheres, we were still shocked to our core by some of the appalling details of the crimes that were captured in these images – babies subjected to spine-chilling torture, bondage, and rape."
The goup's advocacy manager and Western Cape spokesperson Joanne Barrett said: "Society has an obligation to protect children, it is enshrined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights: they should be free from physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or moral harm; maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation – the 900+ children in these images were denied these most basic of rights, and today Magistrate Eugenia Jacobs acknowledged that – it is a good day for justice and speaks volumes that she handed down the heaviest sentence in SA’s history for possessing child pornography."