Pretoria – A paedophile jailed indefinitely ten years ago for sexually molesting six young boys was referred on Tuesday for further psychiatric observation.

Judge Aubrey Ledwaba ordered in the High Court in Pretoria that Michiel Meintjies, 48, undergoes observation at Weskoppies psychiatric hospital in Pretoria for 30 days to determine if he remained a danger to society.

Meintjies will have to appear before the court again next month for the reconsideration of his sentence.

Judge Ronnie Bosielo in August 2003 declared Meintjies a danger to the physical and mental well-being of others, in particular young children, and sent him to jail indefinitely.

The judge further ordered that Meintjies must be brought back to court after ten years for a further psychiatric report and reconsideration of his sentence.

When sentencing started ten years ago, Meintjies had to be restrained after trying to inject himself with a substance he smuggled into court in his underpants.

He lost his temper after being sentenced and started swearing and throwing books around.

Later in the day, he had to be bandaged after cutting himself with a razor blade in the court cells.

His court appearances were marked by bizarre incidents, including masturbating and throwing semen at people during one appearance in the magistrate’s court.

He appeared in the High Court semi-naked on two occasions and once had to be carried out of court because he was so drugged he had to be held erect.

There was however no sign of this unruly behaviour when he appeared in the High Court this week.

Bosielo in 2005 refused Meintjies leave to appeal against his conviction on 13 charges of sodomising young boys, exposing them to pornography and creating and possessing child pornography.

The judge at the time referred to psychiatric reports which described Meintjies as a dangerous paedophile who was addicted to substances, had a psychopathic personality and should not be allowed anywhere near children ever again.

He said it was clear Meintjies had a deep-seated propensity to sexually molest young children, expose them to pornographic material, take naked pictures of them and simulate sex on them or have sex simulated on him.

He had suffered from the disorder since he was 14 years old and in standard six.

Meintjies during his evidence admitted to a serious obsession with young children and that he could not be left in their company unattended.

In 1991 he was convicted for similar offences with six young boys and had in the past received treatment in the Weskoppies psychiatric hospital, but it did not succeed in curing his obsession with young children.

Sapa