Court grants media to photograph Leano Vergotine amid serious child rape allegations
Leano Vergotine hides his face away
Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters
The Western Cape High Court has granted the media permission to photograph Leano Vergotine on trial for multiple counts of child rape and pornography.
Vergotine, dressed in a red top and cap and wearing rings on his fingers, objected to photographs being taken of him during court proceedings.
Addressing the court through his defence, Vergotine argued that he comes from the small community of Ceres and claimed that media coverage would place unnecessary attention on his family and prejudice him.
His defence counsel informed the court that she had explained to her client that the media has rights regarding court reporting and open justice proceedings, but despite this, Vergotine maintained his objection to the application.
The State opposed the objection, referencing the widely publicised 2017 triple murder case involving Henri van Breda, where media houses brought an urgent High Court application to film proceedings.
State Prosecutor Renee Uys argued that the court in that matter ruled in favour of media access, finding that coverage was permissible as long as it did not prejudice the trial and remained within the public interest.
Uys further pointed out that Vergotine’s matter was already far advanced in its trial stage and that allowing photographs would not negatively impact proceedings.
Acting Judge Amanda van Leeve ruled in favour of the media application, stating that the matter was being heard in an open court and that the public had a right to know what was happening in the proceedings.
She further found that there would be no prejudice caused by photographs being taken of the accused.
Leano Vergotine looks nothing like his pictures on social media
Image: Supplied
The case centres around the alleged rape of three minor children: one girl and two boys, aged 16, 15, and 9 years old.
Uys said the State will be seeking harsh sentences at the conclusion of the trial.
This includes life imprisonment for each of the rape charges, as well as an additional 15-year sentence linked to the alleged use of children in the production of child pornography.
Vergotine has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He, however, described the alleged rapes as sexual intercourse, adding that it was consensual.