Life sentence for security guard who raped minor at Florida complex

The Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a security officer, Mpho Antonio Lebona (26), to life imprisonment for raping a 14-year-old girl at a complex in Florida in January 2021.

According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, the girl managed to escape and immediately reported the incident to other residents, which led to his arrest at the scene.

It was also Lebona’s first day of employment as a security officer at the complex.

“He had been tasked with overseeing access to the complex’s communal washing area. The victim, who resided at the complex, approached Lebona to unlock the washing area. The victim’s parents were at work during the commission of the offence. Lebona locked the door behind them and raped the girl, also inflicting a bite wound on her neck,” said Mjonondwane.

During the trial, Regional Court Prosecutor Claude Payne presented victim impact statements for the girl and her mother, which further revealed trauma and the brutal loss of the victim’s virginity.

“Evidence revealed the devastating impact of the crime, with the victim providing a detailed and harrowing account of the assault. Lebona admitted to being with the victim but claimed their interaction was consensual. However, the magistrate, Thelma Simpson, dismissed his testimony as entirely false and improbable, convicting him of rape, which led to the subsequent sentence.

“Citing the nature of the crime against a child, Magistrate Simpson deemed life imprisonment the only befitting sentence, reflecting the court’s commitment to justice for such heinous acts,” Mjonondwane concluded.