UP to 34 children could be involved in a case in which a Windhoek resident yesterday appeared in court on a host of criminal charges linked to allegations that he had sexually abused under-age boys and used them to make pornography that was sold to internet websites.
The 40 charges on which Johann Wickus Maree (48) made his first appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court following his arrest on Friday last week involve eight boys who have allegedly been raped and sexually abused between 2016 and this year.
The state has also identified 14 other alleged victims from whom witness statements have to be taken, while 12 additional victims still have to be traced, public prosecutor Bernadine Bertolini informed magistrate Celma Amadhila during Maree’s court appearance.
Bertolini relayed the information to the court while explaining the reasons why the state was opposed to bail being granted to Maree.
She also said the investigation of the case was still in an early stage, that Maree was facing serious charges, involving minor and vulnerable children, and that he was considered to be a flight risk because he had ties with South Africa and Australia. It would not be in the interest of the public and of the administration of justice to grant him bail, Bertolini added.
Maree is at this stage charged with eight counts of rape, eight of indecent assault, eight charges of committing an immoral act with a child under the age of 16, eight counts of trafficking in persons by recruiting under-age boys with the intent to subject them to sexual exploitation, and eight charges of using children to create child pornography.
All of the charges are dating from the period of 2016 to 2020.
The chief spokesperson of the Namibian Police, deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, said yesterday that the police have been carrying out an investigation in collaboration with the Netherlands police, the South African police and Interpol since late last year, with the investigation focused on pornographic video recordings of minor boys that had allegedly been posted to a ‘dark web’ internet forum that could be connected to a username of Maree.
“The videos contain various children performing sexual acts in a bathroom where a covert camera was [suspected to have been] set up,” Shikwambi said. “Videos were also obtained from a covert camera placed in a toilet at a sporting event inWindhoek recording minor boys visiting the toilet at a municipal swimming pool.”
She added that Maree was allegedly working as a private investigator and a ‘sports photographer’, and ran a website called ‘Boy Idols’ on which photographs of young male models in clothing and swimwear could be bought.
After the magistrate informed Maree of the charges he is facing and of his rights to legal representation, he indicated he would be applying for publicly funded legal aid.
Asked if he wanted to apply for bail, Maree said he did not want to do that at this stage.
His case was postponed to 28 August for further investigation.
Maree remains in custody.
The police are asking parents who suspect any alleged improprieties or sexual abuse of children who had contact with Maree to contact the national head of the Criminal Investigation Directorate, commissioner Nelius Becker, at (061) 209 3252 or 081 129 9215, or detective chief inspector Pennies Olivier at 081 421 0903, Shikwambi said.
