The National Head of the Hawks Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya has welcomed the conviction of Shantel Reyneke Bridger (47), Juan Francios Warren (40) and Rubin Reyneke (28) who ran brothels in Milnerton, Table View, Big Bay and Bellville in the Western Cape.
The three convicts were sentenced by the Cape Town High Court on Wednesday 6 March 2019, following their arrested in February 2017 during the termination of a project driven investigation that ensued in October 2016. Bridger, Warren, and Reyneke formed part of a syndicate that operated a human trafficking enterprise.
They pleaded guilty on an array of 128 charges which included kidnapping of a minor, trafficking in persons for sexual purposes, debt bondage, assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm, keeping of a brothel, living on the proceeds of prostitution and extortion involving over R3 million.
This is also a mile stone case of Trafficking in Persons conviction that includes Prevention of Organised Crime Act, [Act 121 of 1998 POCA] as they were also charged for racketeering and Money Laundering.
They recruited young females (as well as minors) to be groomed and sexually exploited. The victims were all under debt bondage, deprived of their freedom, assaulted and forced to partake in criminal activities such as shoplifting, housebreaking and extortion. The victims as well there friends and families were threatened with bodily harm.
Their sex work clients were blackmailed by certain members of syndicate after they made use of the services over a period between 2012 and 2015. A grand total of over R3 million was paid by the clients to ensure their recorded sexual encounters would not be posted on social media.
Shantel Reyneke was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment for two counts of Racketeering, of which ten is suspended for five years with stringent conditions. All other sentences from count 3 -128 are said to run concurrently, she will effectively serve a 10 year imprisonment.
Juan Francios Warren was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment for two counts of Racketeering, of which ten (10) is suspended for five years with stringent conditions. All other sentences from count 3 -128 are said to run concurrently, she will effectively serve a 10 year imprisonment.
Rubin Reyneke was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment for two counts of Racketeering, wholly suspended for five years with stringent conditions. Additionally he was sentenced to a fine of R50 000 or two years imprisonment. Other sentences from count 16,17,71-89 were wholly suspended for five years with stringent conditions.
The case against the other seven remaining suspects continues at the Cape Town High Court.
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