Modelling agency boss Dawie de Villiers was on Wednesday found guilty of a string of charges‚ including raping and sexually assaulting some of his teenage clients.
Clad in his signature red shirt‚ De Villiers sat in the dock‚ his face scrunched‚ as he listened to the judgment.
Judge Cassim Moosa also found him guilty of exposing children to pornography‚ accessing child pornography and fraud.
One of the children‚ a ten-year-old boy‚ had testified to seeing pornographic images on De Villiers laptop.
A girl‚ who was seven-years-old at the time‚ claimed to have been exposed to naked models at De Villiers’ East Rand home.
Addressing these charges‚ Moosa said the model scout could have prevented such exposure.
An important witness in the case was De Villiers ex-wife.
She testified to having found explicit images of one of her husband’s alleged victims in 2009.
Throughout the trial‚ De Villiers had maintained his innocence; alleging that girls who had come forward with these claims were on a mission to tarnish his image and company‚ Modelling South Africa (Pty).
De Villiers has been involved in the Miss SA pageants and had told the court he was “the most recognised modelling coach in the country”.
One of his victims told the court that she was 15 years old when she was befriended by De Villiers on Facebook.
He invited her to his modelling agency but then raped her at his home on a day when they had planned to have a shoot.
He handed her a morning-after pill after the incident.
Delivering the verdict‚ Moosa said the witnesses who had accused De Villiers of sexual crimes gave convincing versions while De Villiers’ testimony was “riddled with inconsistencies“.
“The State has been able to prove the allegations against the accused beyond reasonable doubt‚” Moosa said.
The witnesses had no motive or hidden agenda.
After arguments by the State and defence‚ Moosa agreed to extend De Villiers’ bail pending his sentence.
He was ordered to pay R5‚000 in addition to the R10‚000 bail fee he had already paid.
The case will return to court on March 8 when De Villiers’ legal team is expected to have completed their pre-sentencing report.
Model agency boss guilty of rape and sexual assault
Modelling agency boss Dawie de Villiers was on Wednesday found guilty of a string of charges‚ including raping and sexually assaulting some of his teenage clients.
Clad in his signature red shirt‚ De Villiers sat in the dock‚ his face scrunched‚ as he listened to the judgment.
Judge Cassim Moosa also found him guilty of exposing children to pornography‚ accessing child pornography and fraud.
One of the children‚ a ten-year-old boy‚ had testified to seeing pornographic images on De Villiers laptop.
A girl‚ who was seven-years-old at the time‚ claimed to have been exposed to naked models at De Villiers’ East Rand home.
Addressing these charges‚ Moosa said the model scout could have prevented such exposure.
An important witness in the case was De Villiers ex-wife.
She testified to having found explicit images of one of her husband’s alleged victims in 2009.
Throughout the trial‚ De Villiers had maintained his innocence; alleging that girls who had come forward with these claims were on a mission to tarnish his image and company‚ Modelling South Africa (Pty).
De Villiers has been involved in the Miss SA pageants and had told the court he was “the most recognised modelling coach in the country”.
One of his victims told the court that she was 15 years old when she was befriended by De Villiers on Facebook.
He invited her to his modelling agency but then raped her at his home on a day when they had planned to have a shoot.
He handed her a morning-after pill after the incident.
Delivering the verdict‚ Moosa said the witnesses who had accused De Villiers of sexual crimes gave convincing versions while De Villiers’ testimony was “riddled with inconsistencies“.
“The State has been able to prove the allegations against the accused beyond reasonable doubt‚” Moosa said.
The witnesses had no motive or hidden agenda.
After arguments by the State and defence‚ Moosa agreed to extend De Villiers’ bail pending his sentence.
He was ordered to pay R5‚000 in addition to the R10‚000 bail fee he had already paid.
The case will return to court on March 8 when De Villiers’ legal team is expected to have completed their pre-sentencing report.
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