‘Honey trap’ victim lured with threesome sex

TWO women and a man who lured their victim under the pretence of a threesome but instead assaulted him with a hammer and robbed him, pleaded guilty in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

They are also accused of stealing the victim’s car, phone, and his firearm with ammunition in Newlands West, Durban in 2019.

Rekha Singh and common-law husband and wife Syed Arif Kazmi and Gwendolene Leonara MacKenzie are charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances. They are accused of hitting the victim on the head and arms with a hammer, and throwing glass plates and other objects at him.

All three had their defence read out with their plea statements in court. In her statement, Singh said she had met the complainant (victim) in 2018 at her place of employment in Overport, adding that they were communicating on WhatsApp messenger, flirting and chatting now and again.

At the time, Kazmi and MacKenzie were living with her and her two children.

“I was financially in debt at the time and needed cash to pay my monthly rental to which my co-accused 2 and 3 were in arrears.

“We came up with an elaborate scheme to rob the complainant. It would entail luring the complainant into my home on the pretext of offering a sexual encounter with accused 3 and myself. Once the unsuspecting complainant was in a compromising position with accused number 3, accused number 2 would enter the room and demand payment or rob the complainant.”

Singh told the court that she was intimidated by Kazmi and could not demand rent nor did she have any control over what went on in her home.

According to the accused’s statements, on the day of the incident the victim came to Singh’s home and she introduced MacKenzie and they all began drinking with the aim of getting the victim drunk enough in order to rob him.

“While in the bedroom we began getting sexual and consumed more alcohol… He (complainant) allowed for his shirt to removed. Accused 3 was clad only in her underwear and bra.

“I also removed my top and was in my bra. While accused 3 was sitting on the complainant’s lap I left the room to call accused 2.”

She said that Kazmi stormed into the bedroom and she could hear yells for help from the complainant.

“He (accused 2) struck the complainant… with a hammer.”

The victim at some stage managed to get away and to escape.

The court was unsatisfied with the trio’s guilty pleas and they are expected back in court in August for trial.

Singh is out on bail while Kazmi and MacKenzie have been in custody since 2019 following their arrests.