Alleged child sex ring kingpin Gerhard Ackerman nabbed after skipping court

Alleged child sex ring kingpin Andre Gerhard Ackerman, who failed to appear in court on Thursday, was arrested on Sunday.

A warrant for his arrest was issued on Saturday.

Ackerman, who is facing 740 charges ranging from rape, attempted murder, distribution of child porn, and human trafficking of minor children for sexual exploitation, failed to appear in the Johannesburg high court on Thursday citing ill health.

When investigating officers visited his home on Friday, they found he had sold all his belongings and disappeared.

State advocate Valencia Dube approached the court with an urgent application on Saturday to have Ackerman’s bail revoked after his failure to comply with the court order to furnish the state with a doctor’s note on Friday.

Ackerman was granted R6,000 bail by the Johannesburg magistrate’s court in 2021 on condition he report to the nearest police station on a daily basis, he not leave Gauteng without permission from the investigating officer or be in possession of a laptop or cellphone to access the internet.  

The director of public prosecutions in Johannesburg Andrew Chauke thanked the public for its vigilance that led to the apprehension of Ackerman.