Man admits having huge child porn stash

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A George resident has admitted to being in possession of 56 822 images and/or videos containing child pornography. Tyrone James, 38, pleaded guilty to the charges, as well as being in possession of tik and dagga. James, who worked as a driver in his mother’s gardening business, was on his way to a client in March 2016 when he was pulled over at a roadblock. After searching the vehicle, the officer searched him and found the tik and dagga. “I requested to phone my mother since I had other employees in the vehicle who needed to be fetched. I was allowed to make a phone call and then the officer took my cellphone.

“When the officer inspected my phone he discovered some photos containing child pornography and photos of the dagga plants that I was growing at home for my own personal use. I was then taken to the police station,” James said in his plea.

Later that day, police searched the premises James was living at, and confiscated 11 hard drives, floppy discs, one computer tower containing four hard drives, DVDs and CDs.

James said that’s when they found the child pornography. “Later in the day I accompanied the investigating officer to my place of residence. He had a search warrant authorising him to search the premises for hard drives and computers containing possible child pornography and the dagga plants depicted in the photographs on my phone.

“I admit that I was in possession of 56822 images and/or videos containing child pornography.

“I downloaded all these images and videos containing child porn from the internet from a site where these types of images can be downloaded for free.

“I was in no way involved in the manufacturing of any child pornography or the distribution of any child pornography. I only downloaded and possessed the images and ­videos for my own personal use.”

James admitted that 42 dagga plants found at his home were his.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the case had been postponed to May 22 for sentencing, and the defence had asked for a pre-sentencing and psychologist’s report.

Mercury Correspondent