Cops bust SA 'child porn cult'

SAPA, South Africa/December 2, 2005

George - Southern Cape police have arrested a man and woman on rape charges and taken two children into safe custody after a raid on a farm where child pornography was allegedly filmed.

Spokesperson captain Eddie Cronje said the arrests were made during a police raid on a farm near Stilbaai on Tuesday, following a tip-off from a member of the public.

Two minors, 11 and 14 years old, were found in the house. The children had allegedly been part of sexual activities in the house which were filmed and photographed.

The images were loaded onto computers.

The police seized DVDs, videos, computers and other equipment for further investigation.

Several other premises in Stilbaai were searched and goods "of the same nature" seized.

The children were taken to a place of safety.

The adults, a man of 36 and an 18-year-old woman, both South Africans, had already appeared in court in Albertinia and the case had been postponed to December 9. They were in custody.

They faced counts of rape as well as charges under the Films and Publication Act of producing and possessing child pornography.

Cronje said the adults were apparently members of a "cult" called the Trilogy Alliance which appeared to have members and branches nationally.

He said police were appealing for information on the cult.

Several Trilogy Alliances have a presence on the internet.

One of them describes itself as a "spiritual order dedicated towards the feminine facet of the human psyche", following "a spiritual path known as the Way of Zen and Tao-ism".

Another, the Dark Trilogy Alliance, appears to be a forum for online gaming, in which players join "clans".