As the fifth week of the Joshlin Smith trial commenced at the High Court in Saldanha Bay on the Cape West Coast, Judge Nathan Erasmus revealed that both the state and the defence may have been targeted by cyberbullying.
Erasmus expressed concern over misinformation spreading online, including false claims implicating him in the child’s disappearance. “It must be a sign of the times that people can stoop so low,” he remarked.
He further stated that both legal teams had fallen victim to cyberbullying, with AI-manipulated video material being circulated in the public domain. “I don’t take kindly to it … [because] it undermines the court process,” the judge added.
The allegations highlight the growing challenges posed by digital misinformation and online harassment in high-profile legal cases.