Johannesburg - He was a Sunday school teacher, a soccer coach and cycling club manager.
And these were the perfect jobs for now-convicted paedophile Kelvin Thompson to position himself around children at all times.
While he was convicted on Wednesday, Thompson faced the wrath of Judge André Petersen on Friday, where his horrific crime spree was detailed for the court.
In 2014, Thompson was based in Noordgesig, running his various clubs, and a seemingly pious member of the community.
He would sometimes bring children back to his home, although it was only made clear what he would do to them when three young children came forward.
The boys, aged eight and nine, were lured to Thompson’s home on the promise that he would give them a bicycle.
According to the State’s evidence, the boys were made to sit on his couch and play Playstation games, while he would take them one at a time into his room.
It was during this time alone on his bed that he would rape each of them, either with his penis or an object the boys identified as a “red torch”.
He told the children this was to check if they were “fit” to ride a bicycle.
Even after letting the boys go, he targeted one of them again the following day, where the child was taken to a structure in a stretch of veld in the area, and was raped again.
Around the same time he invited two more children to his home, also offering them bicycles.
He asked the eight and nine-year-old boys to help him find a memory card, and when they couldn’t find it, he took each of the boys into his room claiming he had to look for the card inside of them.
In July 2015, a 13-year-old was walking home, when a man, later identified as Thompson, pulled out a gun and forced him into a stretch of veld near New Canada Road.
After he was raped, Thompson gave him pieces of a shirt to clean himself, before abandoning him.
On August 19, another 13-year-old was raped, even having to use his own school shirt to wipe himself.
The two shirts turned out to be a major aspect of the State’s case, because after being recovered by police, the DNA on them linked Thompson to the crimes.
However, it was only after the second 13-year-old saw Thompson on his way to church a short while after the incident that he was arrested and assaulted by an angry community.
But then Thompson was released on bail for this rape, on condition he move out of Orlando because of the community’s anger.
It was after his relocation to Eldorado Park that he targeted another child, a nine-year-old he allegedly met at the local swimming pool.
Once again, he used the promise of a bicycle to lure the boy to his new residence.
After this rape, the boy returned to his parents, who
confronted Thompson and he was arrested again.
Judge Petersen acknowledged Thompson’s modus operandi was similar throughout each of the cases, and the similar facts between the cases - even between Noordgesig and Eldorado Park - were proof of his guilt.
The truthfulness of each of the young victims during their testimony had also dispelled Thompson’s claims he had nothing to do with any of the crimes.
“Each of these young boys made a favourable impression on the court,” said Judge Petersen.
He lashed out at Thompson’s position in the community, and how he had taken advantage of children he had befriended.
“(The accused) was a soccer coach, a Sunday School teacher, strategic positions to be around children Familiarity breeds contempt,” he said.
Thompson was found guilty on nine counts of rape.
He will return to the court for sentencing in October.