News / Regional
Security guard imprisoned for attempting to rape 5 school girls
20 Mar 2013 at 04:57hrs | Views
A 40-year-old security guard from Lupane has been sentenced to 39 months in prison for sneaking into a school's cottages and attempting to rape five pupils.
Themba Sibanda of Esigodini Village, St Paul's in Lupane, was employed as a security guard at the shops near Amandlethu High School.
On three separate occasions at night, Sibanda sneaked into the school's cottages, which pupils use as a boarding facility and tried to rape five of them.
He was convicted of three counts of indecent assault and two counts of unlawful entry when he appeared before Lupane magistrate Ms A Madzorera on Monday.
For the two counts of unlawful entry he was sentenced to 24 months in prison and 15 months for the three counts of indecent assault.
Sibanda would serve 34 months after five months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
On 8 March this year at midnight, Sibanda went to the school's cottages where he gained entry into the room by opening a window where the pupils were sleeping. While inside the room, one of the pupils noticed him and alerted her colleagues before she lit a paraffin lamp. Sibanda then jumped out of the room and disappeared into the darkness. He then proceeded to another room where another group of girls slept and gained entry using the same method.
While inside, Sibanda sneaked into the girls' blankets and started caressing one of them. He removed the girl's undergarments and started touching her private parts.
Seeing that a stranger had entered the room the girl jumped to the other side of the room but Sibanda proceeded to the next girl as if nothing had happened and started fondling her. The second girl also sprang from her blankets while Sibanda proceeded to the next girl and removed her undergarments.
At that moment one of the girls lit a match stick upon which Sibanda jumped through the window and fled.
Seven days later Sibanda went back to the same cottages at about 2am and this time gained entry through an unlocked door into the room where seven girls were sleeping.
While inside the room he stumbled on some plates which fell to the floor and made noise that alerted the pupils. One of the girls then lit a paraffin lamp and Sibanda quickly fled into another room within the same house and closed the door.
The pupils woke up and alerted their teachers in the next cottage who came to check what was happening.
At that moment Sibanda bolted out of the cottage through the window and disappeared into the darkness.
The teachers reported the matter to members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee (NWC) who attended the scene and picked Sibanda's bath towel that he had left inside the room.
The following morning, NWC members tracked Sibanda's footprints from the scene to his place of residence leading to his arrest.
Mr Clifford Moyo appeared for the State.
Themba Sibanda of Esigodini Village, St Paul's in Lupane, was employed as a security guard at the shops near Amandlethu High School.
On three separate occasions at night, Sibanda sneaked into the school's cottages, which pupils use as a boarding facility and tried to rape five of them.
He was convicted of three counts of indecent assault and two counts of unlawful entry when he appeared before Lupane magistrate Ms A Madzorera on Monday.
For the two counts of unlawful entry he was sentenced to 24 months in prison and 15 months for the three counts of indecent assault.
Sibanda would serve 34 months after five months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
On 8 March this year at midnight, Sibanda went to the school's cottages where he gained entry into the room by opening a window where the pupils were sleeping. While inside the room, one of the pupils noticed him and alerted her colleagues before she lit a paraffin lamp. Sibanda then jumped out of the room and disappeared into the darkness. He then proceeded to another room where another group of girls slept and gained entry using the same method.
While inside, Sibanda sneaked into the girls' blankets and started caressing one of them. He removed the girl's undergarments and started touching her private parts.
At that moment one of the girls lit a match stick upon which Sibanda jumped through the window and fled.
Seven days later Sibanda went back to the same cottages at about 2am and this time gained entry through an unlocked door into the room where seven girls were sleeping.
While inside the room he stumbled on some plates which fell to the floor and made noise that alerted the pupils. One of the girls then lit a paraffin lamp and Sibanda quickly fled into another room within the same house and closed the door.
The pupils woke up and alerted their teachers in the next cottage who came to check what was happening.
At that moment Sibanda bolted out of the cottage through the window and disappeared into the darkness.
The teachers reported the matter to members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee (NWC) who attended the scene and picked Sibanda's bath towel that he had left inside the room.
The following morning, NWC members tracked Sibanda's footprints from the scene to his place of residence leading to his arrest.
Mr Clifford Moyo appeared for the State.
Source - TC
