A paedophile who gained access to young children through his role as Father Christmas started an effective five year jail sentence on four counts of indecent assault on Tuesday.
James McNeil (73) was sentenced to 10 years, of which five were conditionally suspended for five years.
Some of the incidents of abuse in which he was involved took place up to 20 years ago and three of his victims are now adults. The fourth incident was more recent and involved a toddler.
Cape Town Regional Court magistrate Judy Naidoo told McNeil on Tuesday that on his release from prison he would be banned for five years from living in any dwelling where teenagers under the age of 18 also lived.
This was one of the conditions for the suspension of half his sentence, she said.
Apart from his effective five year jail term, McNeil was also sentenced to R10 000 or two years — and an additional two years jail suspended for five years — on two counts of possession of child pornography.
Naidoo said McNeil was found in possession of a ”child pornography library” comprising 4 200 photographs and 10 video clippings.
She described the visuals shown to the court as exhibits as an eyesore.
She agreed with prosecutor Bronwyn Pithey that the supplier of child pornography depended on the demand and as long as there was a demand, vulnerable innocent children would be exploited.
She described child pornography as repulsive, and invasive of the dignity and integrity of children.
As she started the sentencing process, she told McNeil: ”You must listen very carefully to what I have to say.”
As McNeil was being whisked from the dock to the holding cells by a stern policeman, McNeil, seemingly relieved his trial had finally ended, blurted to the magistrate: ”Thank you for all the trouble.”
Naidoo said the case had received high profile media attention and she could not understand why the media had only focused on it and not on other important cases as well.
She said McNeil had picked on innocent children to satisfy his sexual lust, and the traumatic consequences for the children [now adults] had been devastating.
One victim had lost respect for her body and had resorted to prostitution to support her addiction to drugs.
Naidoo said both women were classic examples of the psychological trauma caused by the sexual abuse of children.
She said McNeil had still not accepted responsibility for what he had done, and even believed one of his victims had actually enjoyed his sexual encounters.
She said he had been intimately involved with so many children that he could not even remember them all. – Sapa