A well-known Knysna estate agent is to be tried later this month on 36 charges, including abduction, child-trafficking and rape.
|||Cape Town - A well-known Knysna estate agent, who stands accused of abducting an 11-year-old boy from a local shopping centre, offering him money in exchange for sex and using him to recruit other victims, is to be tried later this month.
Adrian Wilson-Forbes was arrested at his R1.8 million home in Welbedacht Estate on May 5 last year.
He is charged with 36 counts, including abduction, child-trafficking, rape, indecent assault, and production and possession of child pornography.
He is to be tried before the Western Cape High Court, sitting in George, on February 25.
The State alleges that Wilson-Forbes abducted the 11-year-old boy from the parking area of the Garden Route Mall in 2001 and took him to the Garden Route Dam where he allegedly exposed his genitals and offered the child money in exchange for sex.
Wilson-Forbes, originally from Zimbabwe, is also alleged to have offered the boy money to solicit four young girls, aged eight and nine, from Parkdene, George, to commit acts of a sexual nature with him.
The boy allegedly photographed Wilson-Forbes in acts with the girls.
In March last year, by which time the boy had reached maturity, he allegedly procured another girl and photographed Wilson-Forbes engaging in sexual acts with her before taking possession of the memory card of the digital camera.
He then contacted the police and handed over the memory card, which resulted in the arrest.
Clothing matching those Wilson-Forbes wore in the photographs were seized during a search of his residence last May.
This week Wilson-Forbes, who is in custody awaiting trial, appeared in the George Magistrate’s Court for a pre-trial conference at which the trial date was set.
According to Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Eric Ntabazalila, the trial was being held in George so it was closer to the homes of the complainants.
He said most of the trial would be held in camera.
Weekend Argus