Sex-ring accused Ackerman acquitted on two of 740 charges

Alberts submitted to the court a formal admission in terms of section 220 of the Criminal Procedure Act on some aspects of the case.  

Ackerman admitted to some of the contents in the statements by Esaias Claassen, of the US department of homeland security.

Claassen is an expert who analysed the contents of Ackerman’s devices, including cellphones and laptop seized during his arrest.  

Among others, he admitted to the evidence containing an excerpt of a Facebook chat with a 16-year-old, where the boy asked Ackerman whether he had had sex with boys, and Ackerman replied yes and claimed to have enjoyed it.

Ackerman also admitted to receiving money from co-accused Adv Paul Kennedy but said he was meant to give it to someone else. While Kennedy was added as a co-accused in the matter, he died from an apparent suicide before the matter made it to trial.

Ackerman also admitted he informed Kennedy he had instructed a boy on how to give a  massage and that in his talks with Kennedy, he indicated the boy was young and a virgin.

After submitting the formal admission, Ackerman took the stand to provide his version of events.

Kennedy, who would have been a co-accused in the trial, died before the trial commenced.

Among the charges Ackerman is facing are unlawful possession of child pornography, sexual grooming of children, human trafficking, procuring child pornography, sexual assault, sexual exploitation of children, rape, attempted murder and malicious damage to property.

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