US man charged with child sexual abuse

An American wanted in the US for sexual abuse of children has been arraigned in Nairobi on charges of child pornography and cybercrime.

Joseph William Black Jr, a former lecturer at St Paul's University, was found with 14 nude photos and a video of children aged between 14 and 15 on his laptop.

Black Jr, 64, allegedly traded, shared and distributed the images online against the minors' will using Skype and Microsoft accounts.

Police officer Wycliffe Jefwa of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Child Rights and Protection Unit presented the nude pornographic images and video of Caucasian children recovered from Black Jr  to Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondiek.

Jefwa told the magistrate that Black Jr was arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) while attempting to flee.

The children's rights officer said police had received intelligence reports that Black Jr, a lecturer at the church-sponsored university, was wanted in the US to face charges of sexual assault of minors.

The US government had gathered intelligence reports that the accused was working for profit and living in Kenya, and then liaised with the DCI to have him arrested, prosecuted and then repatriated to the US to also face justice.

At the Milimani Magistrate's Court on Monday, Jefwa gave a graphic account of how police raided the Bishop Makarios Seminary Riruta Satellite in Nairobi on October 20, 2020 and August 20, 2021 to conduct a search and make an arrest.

The officer told the court that Black Jr distributed the pornographic images of the 14 children online using Skype and a Microsoft account.

Ondiek, the magistrate, heard that the lecturer was arrested following an intelligence report about his involvement in the distribution of the porn, which he posted on social media networks.

"Our office [sprang] into action after receiving classified intelligence reports that a US citizen residing in Kenya was involved in child pornography in Kenya and back home," the magistrate was told.

Jefwa told the court that the said pornographic materials were recovered from the lecturer at Bishop Makarios Seminary Riruta Satellite where he used to reside.

"At the time, Joseph William Black Jr was located in Kenya where he resided in a seminary and it was suspected that he was abusing other boys," the court heard.

Black Jr has denied the charges and is out on bond.

He was charged a week after a Dutch national, Jan Int Veld, alias Dad ok, alias Teacher Jan, alias Mzungu, was charged with child abuse.

Another US citizen, Terry Ray Krieger, was arraigned before a Machakos County law court last month facing six charges for alleged sex offences.