Case of Alleged 'South African Jeffrey Epstein' Who Faces 740 Charges for Child Sex Exploitation

Due to his alleged crimes, South African Gerhard Ackerman has been likened to Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier who was convinced of child trafficking and procuring a child for prostitution.

Alleged pedophile and child sex ring kingpin Gerhard "Gerrie" Ackerman has been re-arrested after an escape attempt and will face trial at the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Monday, local media report.

The alleged 52-year-old criminal was arrested at the Florida Junction shopping center near Johannesburg after being spotted and recognized by residents.

"The role played by the South African media in his apprehension must be applauded as the images circulated by the media led to members of the public spotting Ackerman in Florida in the west of Johannesburg," said Phindi Mjonondwane, National Prosecuting Authority representative.

A court session was scheduled for Thursday, involving hearing of evidence for Ackerman's case. This included messages and voice notes the accused sent to his alleged clients, including Paul Kennedy, senior lawyer and acting judge, who committed suicide prior to the proceedings.

According to the indictment, the messages included descriptions of underage victims and the sexual services.

Ackerman, however, did not appear at the hearings. According to his attorney, the defendant was sick after a food poisoning and a subsequent sleepless night.

The alleged offender was expected to submit a medical certificate on Friday, but soon the investigators realized that Ackerman was unreachable.

Upon visiting the suspect's premises, the investigating team found that he had moved out and sold all his movable assets, which violated his bail conditions, Mjonondwane said.

After unsuccessful attempts of tracking down the accused, the police issued an arrest warrant.

Crimes

Gerhard Ackerman is the alleged kingpin of a child sex ring, which operated in Johannesburg in 2019-2021. Before the escape attempt, he had pleaded not guilty to 740 charges in court.

It has been reported that Ackerman allegedly started his criminal activity as early as 2007, when he exposed himself to two underage boys. He faces several assault charges in cases that are heard separately from the sex ring case.

As for the latter, according to the indictment, Ackerman's activities involved: searching for teenage boys on social media; soliciting pornographic videos and images from the victims in order to later sell the media to clients; sexually grooming children, trafficking them, and teaching them to provide sexual services, which they later rendered to "clients" – who allegedly paid Ackerman. He is also facing accusations of rape and attempted murder.

"The accused, the late accused 2, Paul Kennedy, and/or other clients would themselves participate in obscene sexual actions with the children," the indictment says. "The youngsters were not aware of the nature of these acts."

According to the allegations, 386 photo and video files with child pornography were discovered on Ackerman’s laptop with 253 others on his phone.

The indictment mentions a number of venues, at which the crimes are suspected to have been committed. One, disguised as a massage parlor, is a place that Ackerman rented out and was where he later sexually exploited children; another is the home of Paul Kennedy.

Both Ackerman and Kennedy were taken into custody in connection to the sex ring case. The accusations against the latter were dismissed after he committed suicide last year. According to the legal concept of common purpose, Ackerman will have to defend himself against accusations made against his accomplice, as the crimes were allegedly committed within the scope of the common intent.

In 2021, Ackerman was granted an R 6,000 (approximately $350) bail by the Johannesburg Magistrate Court with on condition of daily reports to the nearest police station. He was also prohibited to leave the province of Gauteng without special permission and to possess a laptop or a phone to access the internet.