THE High Court has sentenced a Free State man to a total of 8 400 years in prison for sexual offences involving children.
Mario Guisti, a 36-year-old computer programmer, was found guilty on 1 010 charges of the rape of two boys, one charge of human trafficking and 1 007 charges of the possession, creation and distribution of child pornography.
He was arrested in Welkom last year after Interpol flagged him for uploading child sexual assault material on the darkweb.
Free State police spokesperson Captain Loraine Earle said the investigation team, consisting of Captain Bez Bezuidenhout, Captain Fanie van der Merwe and Warrant Officer Pieter de Wahl, had worked tirelessly to analyse the information received from Interpol.
“At first, they only received photos from Interpol and through the eyes of a seasoned detective, a fingerprint was visible on one of the photos in question – through the analysis of the fingerprint, they could identify the suspect,” Earle said in a statement.
As the investigation unfolded, the suspect was traced and arrested in Welkom in August 2022.
“His electronic equipment was seized for analyses,” Earle said.
“Ultimately, he was charged with 1 010 different charges, ranging from two counts of rape of minor boys, human trafficking and the creation and distribution of child pornography.”
According to the police, Guisti lured boys aged between eight and 10 years with computer games.
“The parents of the victims trusted him and allowed the children to stay over at his house, thinking they were playing games,” Earle said.
“He even got one of the victims to come all the way from Durban to him and stay with him for months.”
Apart from the hefty prison sentence, Guisti’s name has also been included in the register of sexual offenders as he was found unsuitable to work with children. – Staff Reporter