Johannesburg - A convicted paedophile wept and begged for help after he pleaded guilty to 870 charges of rape and possession of child pornography.
"I can’t take back everything I have done to those people," East Rand car salesman Warren Troy Knoop said in the High Court in Johannesburg on Friday.
He was testifying in mitigation of his sentencing. His victims included three young girls.
Prosecutor Riana Williams told the court that Knoop’s first victim was born in 2011. She was a year old when Knoop first fondled her. He stopped raping and sexually molesting the child when she "began talking too much".
Williams said Knoop was worried that she would tell others what he had been doing to her. She said there were images of the girl naked, her legs tied apart, while Knoop masturbated on her.
Dressed in a black shirt, with wooden rosary beads hanging around his neck, the 40-year-old gripped the edges of the bench while Williams read out the details of his crimes.
"I need help. This has been a cry for help and from here on, I can make a difference. It hurts me, but I deserve this. I need help," he told the court.
He cried as he spoke to a woman seated in the court gallery. He told her he was sorry for what he had done to her.
"I didn’t date you because you had a daughter. This darkness took over my life, left a monster that would abuse many. I am sorry," he said.
Single moms, kids targets
In his guilty plea, Knoop said he suffered from depression, sexual and suicidal tendencies. He had an addiction for sexual perversion and was a paedophile.
Williams said Knoop deserved life imprisonment. She told the court that Knoop’s second victim was 12. The girl could recall at least 12 times when she woke up to find Knoop on top of her.
This apparently happened over a six-month period. The girl tried to commit suicide in 2013.
His third victim was 11. She could not recall the abuse and only discovered what had happened after he was arrested.
Knoop was caught when US officials found him sharing scores of videos on a website commonly accessed by paedophiles.
Several laptops, external hard drives, cellphones, memory cards, a DVD, PlayStation console, and a mini spy camera were seized from Knoop during a raid.
According to Women and Men Against Child Abuse, Knoop preyed on single mothers and their children. The anti-abuse group claimed Knoop tried to distribute these images internationally.
The matter was postponed to Monday for sentencing.
News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/i-need-help-paedophile-tells-court-20170210
"I can’t take back everything I have done to those people," East Rand car salesman Warren Troy Knoop said in the High Court in Johannesburg on Friday.
He was testifying in mitigation of his sentencing. His victims included three young girls.
Prosecutor Riana Williams told the court that Knoop’s first victim was born in 2011. She was a year old when Knoop first fondled her. He stopped raping and sexually molesting the child when she "began talking too much".
Williams said Knoop was worried that she would tell others what he had been doing to her. She said there were images of the girl naked, her legs tied apart, while Knoop masturbated on her.
Dressed in a black shirt, with wooden rosary beads hanging around his neck, the 40-year-old gripped the edges of the bench while Williams read out the details of his crimes.
"I need help. This has been a cry for help and from here on, I can make a difference. It hurts me, but I deserve this. I need help," he told the court.
He cried as he spoke to a woman seated in the court gallery. He told her he was sorry for what he had done to her.
"I didn’t date you because you had a daughter. This darkness took over my life, left a monster that would abuse many. I am sorry," he said.
Single moms, kids targets
In his guilty plea, Knoop said he suffered from depression, sexual and suicidal tendencies. He had an addiction for sexual perversion and was a paedophile.
Williams said Knoop deserved life imprisonment. She told the court that Knoop’s second victim was 12. The girl could recall at least 12 times when she woke up to find Knoop on top of her.
This apparently happened over a six-month period. The girl tried to commit suicide in 2013.
His third victim was 11. She could not recall the abuse and only discovered what had happened after he was arrested.
Knoop was caught when US officials found him sharing scores of videos on a website commonly accessed by paedophiles.
Several laptops, external hard drives, cellphones, memory cards, a DVD, PlayStation console, and a mini spy camera were seized from Knoop during a raid.
According to Women and Men Against Child Abuse, Knoop preyed on single mothers and their children. The anti-abuse group claimed Knoop tried to distribute these images internationally.
The matter was postponed to Monday for sentencing.
News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/i-need-help-paedophile-tells-court-20170210
