‘Dangerous offender’ raped and abused young child over three-year period
A dangerous offender raped and abused a child[1] for years before his crimes came to light. Khumbulani Sibanda took advantage of the child before they bravely opened up about the ‘secret’ abuse they were suffering.
Sibanda, of Fosse Road South in Leicester’s Westcotes[2], committed the crimes between 2016 and 2018 when he abused the child who was under the age of 13. Officers believed that the child’s age meant they did not understand what was happening to them.
However, in 2021 the child did open up about a “secret” and revealed they had been raped by Sibanda. The abuse happened on several occasions when the child visited the offender’s then home in Coventry.
Sibanda was subsequently arrested by West Midlands Police and put on trial at Warwick Crown Court[4] where he was convicted for raping a child. He was jailed for 15 years and was told he must serve at least 10 years behind bars before he is considered for parole.
Sibanda, who was called a “dangerous offender” in court, was also jailed for 12 weeks for each sexual assault on his young victim. These sentences will run concurrently.
If released after 10 years, the court said Sibanda will spend a further three years on extended licence. He will be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Suzanne Leah said: “The child was so young, they would not necessarily have understood how badly they were being abused. Sibanda completely took advantage of the child’s young age and innocence for his own sexual gratification, and I am pleased the length of the sentence reflects the severity of his crimes.”
References
- ^ raped and abused a child (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Westcotes (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Live TikTok trial court updates as Mahek Bukhari and six others are sentenced over fatal A46 crash (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Warwick Crown Court (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)