Afrikaner refugee arrested on child porn possession claims innocence [video]

The mother of Afrikaner refugee Arno Venter, who was arrested for the possession of child sexual abuse material in Ohio, has claimed he is innocent on all charges

Venter was nabbed in a vigilante sting operation by Predator Poachers at his workplace, a local Walmart store. A video of the confrontation has gone viral on social media.

Just four months earlier, Venter and his family arrived in the US under the resettlement programme.

REFUGEE ARNO VENTER PROCLAIMS INNOCENCE

In a follow-up video which has gone viral on Facebook, Arno Venter and his mother publicly dispute allegations that he possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material that led to his arrest earlier this month.

Speaking in Afrikaans, Venter’s mother chastised those in the Afrikaner community who had “gossiped” and “thrown stones” at her son’s viral arrest.

“He isn’t a criminal. There was a mistake, and they’re fixing it…Arno is innocent”, she said.

Venter’s mother admitted to being “angry and disappointed” that the story had made headlines both in the US and South Africa.

She alleged that her son was “blind”, adding: “People that are talking about what’s on his phone – you know more than me, who is his mother, and more than him, whose phone it is”

Arno Venter chimed in, adding: “There is an investigation, and it looks positive from our side. You are going to eat your words. Thank you for showing who you really are”.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Earlier this week, a video of Afrikaner refugee Arno Venter being confronted by internet personality Alex Rosen, of the vigilante group Predator Poachers, went viral.

Venter was ambushed at his place of employment – a Walmart in Cleveland, Ohio – over Rosen’s allegations that he had engaged in sexual chats with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old boy and his much younger sister.

He was also accused of trading videos and images of babies and underage children being physically and sexually exploited by adults. 

The 28-year-old, who is visually impaired, confessed to both criminal offences in the hour-long video, adding that distributing the illegal material made him “feel valuable”.

He added that he had been committing the offence “for a few years”.

Venter was later arrested and faces 11 criminal charges involving child sexual abuse material.

A US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson confirmed Venter’s arrest, labelling him “a criminal alien from South Africa”.

If convicted, Venter – who arrived in the US four months ago under the refugee programme – could face a maximum sentence of over 80 years in prison.