Free State man gets three life terms for sexual abuse and exploitation of minors

He pleaded guilty and was convicted on 119 charges involving sexual abuse and exploitation of three minor children between 2015 and 2024. A Free State man, who took advantage of trusting relationships to gain access to his minor victims and repeatedly sexually abused and exploited them, has been sentenced to three life sentences. The Welkom Regional Court, sitting as a designated Sexual Offences Court, has sentenced Christiaan Francisco Fortleza van der Linde, 37, to three life imprisonment sentences. Welkom court gives van der Linde three life terms This comes after he pleaded guilty and was convicted. He was convicted on 119 charges involving the sexual abuse and exploitation of three minor children between 2015 and 2024. Van der Linde repeatedly groomed, sexually assaulted, exploited, and raped his first victim between 2015 and 2025, from when she was 12 to 17 years old. He gained access to her through a position of trust and then subjected her to sexually degrading acts and used her to create child sexual abuse material. Van der Linde subsequently sold and distributed the material through a pornographic website. The second victim was between 11 and 14 years old when the accused targeted them between 2022 and 2024. Van der Linde also exploited a relationship of trust to gain access to the child. He then subjected the victim to repeated grooming, sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape. The accused also created child sexual abuse material involving the victim. Victim trafficked, kidnapped and accused attempted to murder them National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said these offences came to light. When they did, Van der Linde trafficked and kidnapped the second victim. He then attempted to murder the child in an incident involving an attempted murder-suicide. “He further attempted to defeat the administration of justice by damaging electronic devices and destroying evidence,” Senokoatsane said. “The accused also manipulated and instructed the second victim to create child sexual abuse material involving a third minor victim, without the third child’s knowledge.” The material was subsequently found in the accused’s possession. The state was represented by Advocate Elma van Niekerk. She argued that the accused’s conduct was not an isolated or once-off lapse of judgement. Instead, it was a pattern of calculated and manipulative behaviour against children over an extended period. “He deliberately exploited relationships of trust to gain access to his victims, subjecting them to repeated sexual abuse and exploitation,” Senokoatsane said. Emotional and psychological trauma victims and families suffered In aggravation of the sentence, the state presented four victim impact statements. They detailed the emotional and psychological trauma the victims and their families suffered. “The state highlighted that two of the victims had become suicidal as a consequence of the abuse and continued to suffer severe trauma,” Senokoatsane added. Van Niekerk also raised serious concerns about the whereabouts of the intimate photographs and videos van der Linde created, which remain unknown. This raised the disturbing possibility that the child sexual abuse material could still be circulating. This exposes the victims to more victimisation and prolongs their trauma. Van der Linde’s actions, especially his calculated exploitation of the victim’s trust, shocked and disgusted the Welkom Regional Court. The court subsequently imposed three life imprisonment sentences for rape and trafficking in persons. The accused was also sentenced to various additional terms of imprisonment for the remaining offences. These include attempted murder, sexual exploitation, sexual grooming, sexual assault and offences relating to child pornography. Convicted on 119 charges The court imposed the following sentences: Count 1: Sexual grooming of children – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 2: Sexual assault – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 3: Rape of a minor (Section 51(1)) – Life imprisonment. Count 4: Exposure of a child to pornography – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 5: Sexual exploitation of children – Ten years’ imprisonment. Count 6: Compelled self-sexual assault – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 7: Creation of child pornography – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 8: Possession of child pornography – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 9: Distribution of child pornography – Ten years’ imprisonment. Count 11: Sexual grooming of children – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 12: Exposure of children to pornography – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 13: Child abuse – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 14: Rape of a minor (Section 51(1)) – Life imprisonment. Count 15: Sexual assault – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 16: Compelled self-sexual assault – Five years’ imprisonment. Count 17: Trafficking in persons – Life imprisonment. Count 18: Attempted murder – 15 years’ imprisonment. Count 19: Defeating the administration of justice – Three years’ imprisonment. Count 20: Kidnapping of a minor – Five years’ imprisonment. Counts 22-49: Possession of child pornography – Five years’ imprisonment on each count. Counts 50-71: Possession of child pornography – Five years’ imprisonment on each count. Counts 72-99: Creation of child pornography – Five years’ imprisonment on each count. Counts 100-121: Creation of child pornography – Five years’ imprisonment on each count. The court ordered that the additional sentences run concurrently with the life imprisonment sentences. It also ordered that Van der Linde’s particulars be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. He was declared unfit to possess a firearm, prohibited from working with children and barred from possessing or using any electronic device while serving his sentence. “The NPA commends the prosecution team for ensuring that the accused was held accountable for the devastating harm inflicted on the three children,” Senokoatsane added. “This successful prosecution demonstrates the NPA’s commitment to protecting children from sexual predators and ensuring that those who exploit their vulnerability and abuse positions of trust face the full consequences of the law.”