Durban actor Anthony Stonier, who is alleged to be part of a global child pornography network, has been granted bail on his second attempt after his high profile arrest on child pornography charges earlier this year.
The entertainer was taken into custody in April in an early morning multi-agency raid on his home, where investigators spent several hours.
Stonier was initially denied bail after he was slapped with a raft of charges including the possession, distribution, accessing, downloading, facilitating, viewing and manufacturing of child pornography.
However, National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara yesterday said his second attempt to be released from prison was successful.
“Following his second bail application, the accused was granted bail of R8,000 with bail conditions,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
She said the entertainer was expected to appear in court again on October 11.
Stonier was initially taken into custody by a multi-national team which included investigators and forensic specialists from the SAPS Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) unit, KZN police and members of the US Department of Homeland Security.
A household name in the music industry and well-known for his adult panto performances for more than two decades, his arrest sent shockwaves through the close-knit entertainment industry in Durban.
Ramkisson-Kara said Stonier was released on stringent bail conditions which stipulated that he must report to the Mayville SAPS every Wednesday between 6am and 6pm. The court also warned him not to interfere with witnesses and he is prohibited from accessing his electronic cloud account, she said.
Earlier this year police confirmed that hundreds of images and videos of children were seized from his devices. They allegedly found chats between Stonier and a previous accused who was arrested on similar charges in Umbilo. Police said those chats contained information relating to boys who were available for sexual favours at the price of R2,500 and a “willing buyer” could choose whether or not they wanted a boy who was drugged. The actor was charged and arrested.
During his first court appearance the proceedings were held in camera and the media was not allowed in court. The 58-year-old was the 12th person to be arrested in the ongoing operations.
A day after Stonier was taken into custody the Department of Social Development removed a 6-year-old child and a four-month-old baby from a house in Malvern. They said thousands of child pornography images were seized from the property and a 62-year-old man was arrested and charged with the possession, distribution, accessing, downloading, facilitation, viewing and manufacturing of child pornography. The man’s identity could not be revealed to protect the children.
At the time police said detectives with decades of experience were shocked by the images of prepubescent children being sexually abused found on suspects’ devices.