Education body probes Selborne sex offender

Surely this 62 year old pervert should have retired long ago? In the mining industry one gets pensioned at age 60. Give the old fart his marching orders!

I agree with Gilroy the retirement age is 60. What’s he still doing working at 62. And that in a school full of children (although it is a boys school- what’s gonna stop him from fondeling little boys as well). If my son was in Selborne I’d definately make waves here

He should be fired and then receive no compensation package. He commited a crime and all his benefits should be taken away. He should be locked up and the key thrown away.

Why are they talking about letting him teach again, surely for the crime he committed he should be spending time in jail????!!! suspended sentence? disgusting!!! he should be in jail!!!!!

It is a shame that this teacher is walking in the street after the conviction. This sends a wrong message to those still involved in such disgusting actions. It is also disempowering to the victims, who worked-up courage to speak out against sexual abuse by their grandfather, to see that nothing has happened to the man who has violated their privacy and sexual being.

This man is clearly not fit to teach nor supervise children. If he could do this to his grandchildren, what more has he done to those who are just his pupils (not relatives). SACE should just remove this man, and quantify the assistance that the state is paying to get his grandchildren out of the trauma, and deduct that from his pension. He needs to pay for the damage (psychological) that he has caused these children.

Yinja le!!!

This was very wrong doing by this teacher.

But do we really have to kick a dying horse? Do not fight fire with fire. What you are doing now is to pour petrol, paraffin and menthylated spirit to a burning fire. You are making this situation worse.

I can imagine how you would be feeling if this dude had raped these girls. Maybe the girls had/have forgiven their grandfather. Why can’t you?

Rape, child molestation, child abuse are not acceptable at all. Children deserve the best in life…But these girls for goodness sake were not raped.

Comparing what happened to these girls with what happens daily i.e Children as young as 3 months are raped in South Africa and to me that is very serious and all South Africans need to make noise about that. It is very wrong and cruel…and perpetrators need to be severely punished!

Siya, we are not cruel and insensitive by expressing our dismay over the shameless acts of this bastard of a grandfather. These children could be going through hell, and as in any other family, they will be forced by other emotionally affected member to forgive. We need to speak out at this problem of sexual abuse, even if they have not beeen raped yet. Sukuzibhanxa Mntakwethu, once this happens to one of your own, you will feel the pinch Bra.

Vuyisa Jantjies – that’s the first sane post of yours that I have read.
WELL SAID !!
To anyone who thinks that the victims will easily get over and forget this, YOU ARE WRONG. Post traumatic stress can take 20 years before it even hits you.
Very seldom does it ever heal.
Young people often have a built in mechanism which causes them to not register such trauma at the time of the event. But it nearly always re-surfaces later in their lives.
That is why, 40 yrs later, more than half a million Vietnam War vets are still fighting that war inside their heads. Read the facts before you forgive this perverted scumbag.

Gavin Gaan aan jy. Ek hoef jou tevrede stel met my stellings nie. Ons heel moontlik nog van verskillende partye, en dis hoe jy nie van my menings hou nie.

Vuyisa Jantjies- dit he niks te doen met “verskillende partye” jou esel, dis oor julle wat kak-praat.
How’s that for the Queen’s English ?
We can debate in Latin or a few other languages if you wish ? Have a good day.

Does anyone find the headline inappropriate or at least see the pun?
“Education body probes Selborne sex offender”.

What kind of probe? It should be a massive jagged steel anal probe, that’ll “teach” him a lesson.

Jou Skirk. Andiyazi iLatin ngeba ndithetha yona kungoku.

It is time to move on from this relative minor case of sexual misdemeanor, as can be judged from the short suspended sentence given. He will be very cautious from now on not to re-offend. It is now time to put this chapter behind us and not to unlock it again . Some people need to throw away the key of censoriousness, sexual phobia and inverted voyeurism.

@SIYA AND BEAVER. Siya you say forgive this man for what he has done because he has not raped these poor innocent children. Beaver you say move on because this is a minor offence (just touching). If we forgive and if we stop at minor offences then it will escalate into something major. I think that anyone who commits a sexual offence, major or minor should be hanged from the nearest tree. A sexual crime has been commited and no matter how minor or how insignificant it seems to some people, open your eyes, sexual offence is sexual offence. Someones boss may pinch them on the backside, this is classed as sexual harrassment which is a sexual offence. Some adult woman cant handle this, so please tell me how are two children who were entrusted to their grandfather supposed to deal with someone touching their private parts. If someone touched my daughter’s private parts, I dont care who it is, even if it is my father, they would have me to deal with because I know that if left to the police nothing would be done about it. I would make sure that the offender never touched another living sole for the rest of their lives, if they have a life after I am finished with them.

@Beaver – These assholes never learn or keep their hands to themselves. Look at Bruce Elhrich or whatever his surname is. He was a Karate instructor in Grahamstown who. This guy had so many slaps on the wrist it’s unbelievable. Eventually after the 4 or 5 time he appeared in Court for the same offence he was sent to jail. Can’t remember how long but I do know that he was sent to jail in the end. And to think of it my mom & dad wanted to send me to his Karate classes back when we lived in Grahamstown.

@ Schmeagle and Teagan. Don’t waste your words on Beaver as on both stories(yesterdays and today) Beaver has said loudly and clearly that what happened is normal behaviour and in fact should have been dealt with internally. By internally I would assume he is meaning that he was hoping a family meeting would be held where the girls could thank Oupa for all the wonderful things he has done for him just before forgiving him. In his mind touching your grandchildren in a sexual way is an itsy bitsy slipup – I mean come on according to Beaver its hardly worth a mention at all. Beaver in all his wisdom has also enlightened us that we are all over reacting as little girls who have been touched in that manner will be just fine since they have been exposed to sex education since Grade 1. Beaver – maybe we should hunt down these girls and punish them instead for making such a big ado about nothing. What would you do if this happened to your little sister or child – actually don’t answer as I’m too scared to find out since you think that anyone being concerned about the issue of abuse is suffering from a sexual phobia. Wake up! The only one with a sexual problem is your Oupa.

I as a parent of a pupil at Selborne College would like the SGB to fire this man with immediate effect. He is a teacher who should be leading by example, what is the school and this teacher teaching my son? That it is ok to sexually abuse someone and nothing gets done about it. It is bad enough that our justice system is sending out the wrong message. The school needs to lead by example and say that this is NOT acceptable by ANY man, and throw him out. Selborne has a proud tradition of sending well balanced, educated gentleman into the world, but this tradition will be tainted by them sitting back and doing nothing. This person has proven he is not a man, cannot be trusted and cannot be respected. How does this fit in with Selborne’s teaching? This man has to go! He is nothing but a disgrace. Selborne GET RID OF HIM.

VUYlSA JANTJlES – Xhosa si a gangulae i nacont verconse ni.
Tel su ryt therona neo yoka ?

Behavior can be modified and changed, so I still have hope for the offender, especially in mild cases of abuse.Yes, Schmeagle, one can also say stealing is stealing , and who has never stolen something small,at least? Does this mean we all have to be locked up for years and ostracised forever because a relatively minor offence ? No, the punishment must fit the crime , as has happened in the case under discussion. Please engage your mind before you let loose your blind hatred and unquenchable bitterness on some fairly innocuous incident. Your avowed intention to murder your boss, or teacher or even your father at the drop of a hat, if they should even be accused of a little pinch or improper touch , is way,way OTT and shows a foolish and arrogant placement of yourself above the rule of law . Nobody should set themselves up as being the accuser, prosecutor, judge and executioner all in one. I am sure that neither Siya nor I, nor the majority of your readers would like to live in such a chaotic, merciless and unregulated society. Remember too that the imaginations of some young girls can at times become over-heated and given to exaggeration and to unreal accounts of the events, especially under persistent suggestions from a biased questioner. The law must and has taken its course . Let the matter now rest there.

Gavin Taylor. You spelled “Xhosa” wrong.

I’m sorry, but am I the only one that sees, as obvious as day, that Beaver is an offender himself and is trying to justify the ‘little’ action because he is trying to convince himself that he too can be reformed? In my opinion, it is only someone that can do something like this that can relate and call for compassion. Any parent who gives a dam can relate to what Schmeagle has said.

Beaver I am gobsmacked that you are calling this a harmless and mild offense. You seem to be implying that the victims or their parents falsely accused him. If you have something to share then do tell. Until then you need to realize that you are coming across as someone who sees nothing wrong with a dirty old man inappropriately touching a 10 year old child. I really hope that is not your intention as your words are making me sick to my stomach.

@ Chase – no you are not the only one. Read his posts from yesterday. It would be one thing for him to be defending someone he knows but he has said again and again that he sees nothing wrong with a child being touched in this way. BEAVER – I WOULD RATHER BE GUILTY OF JUDGING SOMEONE THAN TO THINK THAT ITS OK FOR CHILDREN TO BE ABUSED. And when people make threats of what they would do to him is is merely an expression of the anger they feel – and yes people do feel anger to know that so many innocent children are abused everyday.

@Chase. I agree with you. Something very sick in his continuous downplaying of a serious and disgusting offence.

Just my penny’s worth.

The phsycological trauma of an abused child can never be measured in the sentence passed on the offender and as such, i concur with bloggers who see the need to remove this vermin from a place where he may become in contact with children.

Just recently there was a case in USA of a convicted rapist being paroled, and than the bodies of 10 women were dug up on his property.

Once these a@seh@les has tasted the forbidden fruit, they wont be able to stop and it is the duty of any body or society in which he could make contact, to hound him out like the coyote he is.

Dave Rankin – is the piper at the gates of dawn…..(Pink Floyd)

it won’t be that difficult to finger the fingerer. go to http://www.selbornecollege.co.za where they have a list of the teachers teaching there, with thumb nail photographs. Then eliminate the females, under 60-year olds and new faces. Once you’ve done that it’s just a case of finding out who’s got grandchildren. My money is on King.

@ Patrick – You are so right.

after logging onto http://www.selbornecollege.co.za I clicked on About Selborne and then Staff.

all the staff there have the year that they were appointed next to their credentials, and using the information that the Dispatch gave us – that the teacher had been there for more than 26 years – we’re left with the following: Mr Max Norman, Mr Kevin Taylor, Dr Henry Niit, Mr Brian Ashmead, Mr Ian Forword and Mr Keith Hanger

so, if we’re going to finger the fingerer, does anyone know which of those teachers have kids?

and I’m really surprised that this wasn’t King or Coetzee.

shame people are bored. dont you have jobs. let the courts, school and family deal with this. if your son is at Selborne and you are worried file a complaint but saying so here is not gonna change anything. when you sent your son to the school did u not do it because you thought it was wat was best for him. the school wants to do what is best.
i am personaly glad he was not fired right off the block. atleast somebody is showing sum initiative and not just jumping to conclusions. lets think about this, two girls both old enough to know wat is going on. all they had to do is stand up and tell the judge he was guilty and im sure he would have had a much stronger sentence imposed but a deal was struck. a suspended sentence, guilty plea.. seems like a pretty attractive offer when you compare it with a drawn out court battle at the age of 62 at the end of which he might be found guilty for a crime he did or did not commit. i am not entirely convinced that he is physically guilty in the first place.
Sexual offenses are some of the most serious and any lawyer with even a hint of a case would not let the man go on a suspended four year sentence

@CHASE, I was wondering that self same thing myself, in fact I was wondering from what Beaver has written if he isnt maybe infact the teacher who is being accused, trying to get us to forgive him. I personally think that Beaver is one sick individual who thinks that touching stops at touching. Like said in the bloggs above, one these perverts get a touch or a taste so to speak they want more.

or lets blame the kids for being so gosh darn attractive, eh?

Not convinced – if he was innocent why did he plead guilty? Would you plead guilty for something you didn’t do? Your post sounds a lot like Surley – are you using a new blog name?

Read my contributions again and you will see I do not seek to justify this man’s actions, which are repugnant.Nor do I condone any of the different levels or grades of child abuse that exist.. But I am interested in the wider cause of fair justice for the convicted man. The cause of justice is not be well served by handing over the process to a lynch mob. I am trying to protect a man from the “skiet en donner” crowd who are neither prepared to accept the results of the due process of our law, nor to show any mercy before rushing in to stone him dead. They would demand to take the law into their own hands. After a comprehensive legal investigation and consultation with all parties concerned,in which all facts were carefully considered, the law determined that this particular case did not warrant more than a suspended sentence. In fact, for the punishment to fit the crime in this particular case, it was determined that slightly more than a caution only was required. Now my point is that we should be prepared to accept this guilty legal verdict and the considered mild sentence of our courts, and be hopeful and helpful that the person will go and sin no more. I agree, it does require some amazing grace to identify with this rehabilitative approach toward the accused man. But why has Dave Rankin joined the mob of name-calling and hatchet wielding rabble who are driven by their base emotions of anger,bitterness,hatred and self-righteousness. These seem to lack objective minds or compassionate hearts. Is this some sort of cover-up for their own guilt and short comings ? I think Freud would would have had a field day in analysing their motives. To err is human; to forgive is divine !

Beaver, I think that it is you who should read your posts again as there is no mistaking what you said. I would be more than happy to directly quote some of the sentences you wrote, but I am sure that won’t be necessary. This is the first post where you acknowledge that what he did was wrong. You also need to know that most of the bloggers do not know the identity of this man, I certainly don’t. The comments on this blog are merely an outcry against yet another case of abuse. This is a natural reaction to an abhorrent crime. We should thank the DD for reporting on such matters as hopefully this exposure will deter potential abusers. One also needs to consider that the sentence is not always a reflection on the severity of the crime. Just a few weeks ago a man who had knowingly and willingly mixed alcohol with his medication went on a shooting rampage and killed a man and injured others and he walked away a free man even though it was not the first time he had chosen to drink excessively. Instead of lashing out at those who do find this act repulsive you need to explore why you don’t.

Beaver, one of the most important parts of a justice system is that it be open and transparent. That’s why a court will only hold a hearing in camera in exceptional circumstances. The only reason this man has not been identified is to protect the victims (because they are related and can be identified by identifying the man), not to protect the man.
His crimes need to be publicised. Other abusers and criminals need to know that they too, should they be caught, feel the full glare of public rebuke.

[...] Does anyone find the headline inappropriate or at least see the pun? â??Education body probes Selborne sex offender â?. What kind of probe? It should be a massive jagged steel anal probe, that’ll â??teachâ? him a lesson. … He is a teacher who should be leading by example, what is the school and this teacher teaching my son? That it is ok to sexually abuse someone and nothing gets done about it. It is bad enough that our justice system is sending out the wrong message. …Next Page [...]

AK – You could not have read my first post the previous day. I said this behavior violated the privacy and dignity of the girls and is totally unacceptable and repugnant. He will now have to live with the consequences of his weakness, probably done on the spur of the moment and not repeated. While we are not party to the facts, yet on the basis of the court’s decision, we can fairly conclude that this particular offence was one of the less serious cases to come up before the courts. Perhaps there were several doubts and mitigating factors for the court to consider. We should not be so arrogant as to think we know better! I have much more confidence in our courts than I do in the lynch mob out there. Let us not add our harsh persecution on top of the court’s sentence but let the river of justice now run its course. I think we should be immeasurably more repulsed by the subsequent unbridled expression by the angry lynch mob of extreme murderous hatred and demonic, inhuman torture of the man, than we are repulsed by his lesser offence, foolish as that was . But remember it is not a cardinal sin and I am still hopeful there will be rehabilitation and reconciliation. The girls are likely soon to outgrow the impact of the incident, although I think that would have been easier if the matter had been settled out of court. I’m putting in a plea to you to temper justice with mercy on the Oupa. If justice only be our plea,consider this–that in the course of justice none of us should see salvation. (with apologies to the Bard !)

Beaver. I went back and read your first post and you are correct – you did indeed say that it was repugnant. The problem though is that you have repeatedly downplayed this man’s actions. I refer you to the EP Herald wherein it is stated that the girls at the time were aged 9 and 12. He also touched them on more than one occassion. I recommend you read this article as it also gives the reasons why a plea bargain was agreed to. If people want to vent their anger at yet another case of abuse then so be it. Rather than worry about the behaviour of the people on the blogs you should worry about the teachers behaviour. Two more girls have been abused – what about their mental state? They didn’t ask for this to happen – he, however, chose to behave the way he did and a consequence thereof will be living with the shame. Please also do not undermine how this will effect these girls as without counselling they will never view men as they should. We may be cruel to the teacher, you are being dismissive of the victims.

AK–I have repeatedly said we should accept the verdict and sentence imposed by the court. I have also hoped for the restoration of their relationships and for his rehabilitation. Your rejection of this is very evident and instead you inject into the situation the satisfaction of your own anger and cruelty. But you won’t be there in the long run to pick up the pieces resulting from this bitterness of heart and cruelty of action.I am not dismissive of the two girls but consider their long-term interests are best served by a family healing process. And this can’t be done by using a sword, torture or merciless treatment of the man, as the hatchet men and women on your side are proposing ! Has the man not suffered enough that you still want to snuff out what remains of his life to satiate your lust for revenge ? Have you no consideration in your cruel, hard heart for his wife ? When I consider this acknowledged cruelty, then I must say the teacher seems more sinned against than sinning. Let’s all be peace-makers rather than muck-rakers !

Beaver this mans suffering and the suffering of his wife was brought on by the his behaviour, that sadly is a consequence of criminal behaviour.

You have your opinion, I have mine so lets leave it at that.

Sorry, errors due to late night blogging.

AK….Your blogging errors are ALL forgiven. Can YOU now find it within your heart to write a little note and wish the teacher and his family full recovery ?