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A man suspected of raping and murdering a Limpopo game lodge owner has been arrested after the victim’s niece tracked him down from the UK.
Lehanne Sergison, a retired surveyor, posed as an air stewardess called Missy Falcao and exchanged flirtatious messages with the man suspected of killing her aunt, retired teacher Christine Robinson, in July 2014.
Robinson, 59, was attacked at Rra-Ditau Lodge in Thabazimbi, which she ran alone after the death of her husband. She was raped and stabbed to death in her bedroom, allegedly by a gardener who then vanished.
Sergison, from Kent, tracked the man down in 2018 and agreed to a date with him last year. She arranged for the SA police to lie in wait but the man did not arrive.
On Thursday, the sixth anniversary of Robinson’s death, Sergison posted photographs on Facebook of her aunt and the suspected murderer.
The post was shared by AfriForum, and within hours the man was arrested at the complex in Brixton, Johannesburg, where he was living and working.
Sergison, 49, told The Times in the UK: âI couldnât believe it â if I saw it happen in a film I wouldâve said it was too cheesy.
âI was in the garden centre buying lavender, because it was Chrissyâs anniversary and it was her favourite plant, when I got a call to say he had been arrested.
âI almost got him once before with a honey trap. I remember sitting on the couch on a Sunday afternoon and engaging with him over Facebook â my husband and I came up with a back story. I told him I was a stewardess as it meant I wasnât always contactable.
âHe was on the run so I knew his guard was up. At first I befriended his friends, to allay suspicion, before befriending him. He was using a slightly different name to his real name and was a member of dating groups. He wrote some horrible things, like âI need a woman, any age, any sizeâ.
âHe wanted to speak to me on the phone so I spoke to the SA police and they got a female officer to contact him. But it took time and it didnât work out.
âI kept going because Chrissy deserved it. She was such a wonderful woman. She was so kind, she had been a teacher all over the world and was full of tales. She was tying up loose ends in SA and was hoping to come back to England or France.â
She did well but why was it up to her to do it? The police could have just as easily done the same thing a long time ago! Too often I’ve heard of stories like this when the police just don’t do their job and some citizen has to do it for them.