This week’s Action Society Courtwrap is dominated by the deeply disturbing Malmesbury molester case, a stark example of how repeated failures within the justice system leave children exposed to known predators. Despite being first arrested in 2021, the accused was allowed to remain in the community on a warning, even while admitting to ongoing urges to harm children. Years of delays and leniency culminated in a guilty plea in November 2025 to the rape of all three of his daughters. Action Society warns that every postponement and every missed safeguard has carried a real cost to child safety, underscoring the urgent need for decisive sentencing, compulsory inclusion on the National Register for Sex Offenders, and the public release of the NRSO to prevent known offenders from quietly returning to spaces where children are most vulnerable.
“This case exposes a systemic failure to prioritise child safety over procedural convenience. A man who admitted to harmful urges was allowed to walk the streets for years while children remained at risk. He must be permanently removed from any environment where he can access children, placed on the National Register for Sex Offenders, and that register must be made public. Protecting children cannot depend on secrecy or delayed accountability.”
MALMESBURY REGIONAL COURT
Malmesbury Molester
Last appearance: 26 January 2026
Next appearance: 17 March 2026
The case against a serial child molester in Malmesbury is finally nearing completion after the accused pleaded guilty to raping all three of his daughters on 17 November 2025. First arrested in 2021 for child molestation, the accused was released on a warning. He has admitted to struggling with urges to harm children, yet mental health evaluations contradict claims that he cannot control himself. Action Society believes he is a dangerous predator who must never be allowed near children again. Yesterday, the pre-sentencing report was set to be discussed in court, but the report was not available. The matter was postponed to 17 March 2026 for the discussion of the pre-sentencing report.
MITCHELL’S PLAIN REGIONAL COURT
Angela Koopman: Burned alive
Last appearance: 15 January 2026
Next appearance: 29 January 2026 and 9 February 2026
Angela Koopman’s tragic death shocked her community after her boyfriend allegedly set her alight on 22 March 2024, leaving her with fatal burn wounds. The magistrate was not available to hear the matter on 15 January 2026, and it was postponed to 29 January 2026 to discuss Facebook messages that were received by the victim’s family from the prison. The next trial date is 9 February 2026.
Churchgoers Sexual Assault Case
Last appearance: 20 January 2026
Next appearance: 3 February 2026
Nineteen women were robbed and sexually assaulted inside a church in Site C Khayelitsha on Easter Sunday 2023. Two armed men entered during a power outage, robbed congregants and then forced women to undress and perform sexual acts at gunpoint. The trial remains ongoing as the case was postponed on 20 January 2026 for the accused to consult with their legal representative. The case is set to continue on 3 February 2026.
Firdous Kleinschmidt: Killed by stray bullet
Last appearance: 19 January 2026
Next appearance: 13 February 2026
Firdous Kleinschmidt, a 13-year-old Grade 7 pupil, was killed on 30 January 2024 after being struck by a stray bullet at school in Beacon Valley. She was waiting for her school transport on the school grounds. The accused has multiple murder cases against him being tried at the same time. One of the other murder cases against the accused was postponed to 13 February 2026 on 19 January 2026 for further arguments. The Firdous murder case is yet to continue.
Lekesha Marthinus: Judgement against Austin du Plessis postponed
Last appearance: 4 December 2025 and 22 January 2026
Next appearance: 6 February 2026
The judgement against Austin du Plessis, the accused in 18-year-old Lekesha Marthinus’s murder, was postponed for the third and fourth time in December and January. On 4 December 2025 the magistrate postponed the judgement to 22 January as she was not ready to proceed yet. The magistrate postponed the judgement date to 6 February on 22 January 2026 due to an unforeseen family crisis. Lekesha died on 5 November 2022 after Du Plessis, her boyfriend at the time, threw a beer bottle at her head while she was holding her nine-month-old baby. She was rushed to hospital and declared dead on arrival.
MITCHELL’S PLAIN SEXUAL OFFENCES COURT
Iris* – raped from a young age
Last appearance: 20 January 2026
Next appearance: 23 February 2026
The matter involving the alleged repeated rape of 15-year-old Iris by her mother’s ex-husband was postponed to 23 February 2026 in the Mitchells Plain Sexual Offences Court on 20 January 2026. The accused allegedly raped her from a young age, often while giving her a bath.
* Pseudonym
