Mohale FM The South African Police Service has arrested two suspects in Gauteng for possession and distribution of drug-facilitated sexual abuse material and child sexual abuse content, following a coordinated multi-agency operation.
Police say the arrests stem from intelligence shared by the UK’s National Crime Agency through the British High Commission in Cape Town, which identified a South African suspect allegedly involved in so-called “sleep fetish” crimes.
A 34-year-old man was arrested in Boksburg yesterday after investigations revealed he had allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted his wife over a period of five years, recording and distributing the material without her consent. The victim was reportedly unconscious during the incidents.
A multidisciplinary team, including the Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations unit and the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations, carried out the operation. Forensic experts recovered multiple videos and images linked to drug-facilitated sexual abuse and child sexual abuse material from the suspect’s electronic devices.
Further investigations led to the arrest of a second suspect, aged 48, in Germiston. Police say the two suspects are known to each other and operated in a similar manner. Authorities also seized his electronic devices and two unlicensed firearms.
Both suspects are expected to appear before the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court today, facing charges including sexual assault, possession of unlicensed firearms, and the distribution and production of child sexual abuse material, as well as violations of the Cybercrimes Act.
Investigations are ongoing.
