PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
South Africa: Why sexual predators view Africa as hunting ground (News analysis by by Craig Urquhart, PANA correspondent)
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – This week’s extradition of a German Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse of children in his native country and in South Africa has again placed the spotlight on foreign paedophiles who use this continent as their hunting ground.
Police confirmed to PANA that 53-year-old Georg Kerkhoff was deported from South Africa on Tuesday and has been handed over to the German police.
He will face trial in Germany where he is wanted for alleged sex crimes against children before he moved to South Africa, where he was arrested on similar charges. However, the local charges have been dropped to ensure that he could be extradited.
In an equally disturbing case, British Airways is now facing a major lawsuit over claims one of its pilots sexually abused children in African schools and orphanages.
The Guardian newspaper this week reported that lawyers are representing 16 young girls and women who claim Simon Wood assaulted them.
Wood reportedly committed suicide last August – by jumping in front of a train – while awaiting a court appearance in the UK accused of indecently assaulting a young girl.
The law firm Leigh Day claims Wood molested children during stopovers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania while flying for British Airways and is now suing for damages.
In another current high-profile case, a young woman at the centre of a sodomy case this week told a Kampala court that she was sexually abused by four Pakistani businessmen.
The New Vision newspaper has identified the suspects as Ahmed Asahaporo, Mohammed Wagasa, Zaheer Muhammed and Sadiq Muhammad and the trial continues.
The issue of paedophilia has received world-wide attention following a spate of high-profile cases, including the recent conviction of disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris who was last month convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault against four girls.
And, in an interesting twist, UK singer Linda Nolan has come forward to reveal how she was molested by the Australian star while touring with him in South Africa in 1975.
In an interview on "Good Morning Britain" last month, she recalled the incident: "I was in my dressing gown, and he gave me a bear hug. I felt his hands all over my back, it felt uncomfortable immediately. I felt him kissing my neck. I felt his tongue on my neck.”
Child rights groups say the reason sex tourists, including paedophiles, are flocking to African countries is because they know they’ve got a very good chance of getting away with their crimes.
They cite the case of self-confessed Swiss paedophile Peter Zimmermann who was recently released and allowed to fly home from South Africa because prosecutors said they could not find any of his victims to open a case.
Zimmermann received a slap on the wrist in the form of a US$1,000 fine and left the country after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) made a "plea bargain" deal with him.
Fortunately, the enormous publicity these cases have attracted may prove to be a deterrent for foreign sexual predators who look at Africa as a destination of choice.
-0- PANA CU/MA 2Aug2014
Police confirmed to PANA that 53-year-old Georg Kerkhoff was deported from South Africa on Tuesday and has been handed over to the German police.
He will face trial in Germany where he is wanted for alleged sex crimes against children before he moved to South Africa, where he was arrested on similar charges. However, the local charges have been dropped to ensure that he could be extradited.
In an equally disturbing case, British Airways is now facing a major lawsuit over claims one of its pilots sexually abused children in African schools and orphanages.
The Guardian newspaper this week reported that lawyers are representing 16 young girls and women who claim Simon Wood assaulted them.
Wood reportedly committed suicide last August – by jumping in front of a train – while awaiting a court appearance in the UK accused of indecently assaulting a young girl.
The law firm Leigh Day claims Wood molested children during stopovers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania while flying for British Airways and is now suing for damages.
In another current high-profile case, a young woman at the centre of a sodomy case this week told a Kampala court that she was sexually abused by four Pakistani businessmen.
The New Vision newspaper has identified the suspects as Ahmed Asahaporo, Mohammed Wagasa, Zaheer Muhammed and Sadiq Muhammad and the trial continues.
The issue of paedophilia has received world-wide attention following a spate of high-profile cases, including the recent conviction of disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris who was last month convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault against four girls.
And, in an interesting twist, UK singer Linda Nolan has come forward to reveal how she was molested by the Australian star while touring with him in South Africa in 1975.
In an interview on "Good Morning Britain" last month, she recalled the incident: "I was in my dressing gown, and he gave me a bear hug. I felt his hands all over my back, it felt uncomfortable immediately. I felt him kissing my neck. I felt his tongue on my neck.”
Child rights groups say the reason sex tourists, including paedophiles, are flocking to African countries is because they know they’ve got a very good chance of getting away with their crimes.
They cite the case of self-confessed Swiss paedophile Peter Zimmermann who was recently released and allowed to fly home from South Africa because prosecutors said they could not find any of his victims to open a case.
Zimmermann received a slap on the wrist in the form of a US$1,000 fine and left the country after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) made a "plea bargain" deal with him.
Fortunately, the enormous publicity these cases have attracted may prove to be a deterrent for foreign sexual predators who look at Africa as a destination of choice.
-0- PANA CU/MA 2Aug2014
