Ceres paedophile Leano Vergotine found guilty of multiple child sex offences
Leano Vergotine has been found guilty on charges of rape, possession of child pornography.
Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters
Delivering her long-awaited judgment in the Western Cape High Court, sitting at the Wynberg Regional Court, Acting Judge Amanda van Leeve found Leano Vergotine, 41, guilty on 15 of 17 charges against him.
Vergotine was found guilty on charges of rape, possession of child pornography, using a child for child pornography, sexual grooming, creation of child pornography in contravention of the Films and Publications Act, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and assault.
He was found not guilty on charges of kidnapping and attempted rape.
The State had alleged that Vergotine, from Ceres, targeted several minors in separate incidents.
Prosecutors alleged he raped a 16-year-old girl in September 2022; anally penetrated and raped a 15-year-old boy while filming the attack; and groomed and raped a nine-year-old child on multiple occasions.
He is also alleged to have performed oral sex on his boy victims.
Video evidence proved central to the State's case, with prosecutors presenting multiple recordings allegedly made by Vergotine himself.
State prosecutor, Renée Uys, had argued that several charges, which the defence sought to have treated as duplications, were in fact distinct, each stemming from separate videos recorded on the same day using a single device.
During closing arguments, defence attorney Nawaal Abduragmaan had sought to dispute several aspects of the charges.
Leano Vergotine, the Ceres rapist, who was found guilty on several counts of rape and child pornography charges turned to face the media, raised his middle finger and clearly uttered the words "F**k you."
Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters
On count one, she rejected witness allegations that Vergotine had kicked and stepped on the complainant, arguing instead that he had only smacked the child, and asked the court to consider a conviction of common assault rather than assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The defence also disputed that Vergotine had anally penetrated child complainant one, however, medical evidence confirmed injuries to the child's anus.
In delivering her judgment, Van Leeve noted that she found it telling that Vergotine had claimed he smacked a minor for stealing his cellphone, money, and alcohol, yet was always in possession of his cellphone to record the incriminating videos.
Van Leeve also highlighted how Vergotine had lured child complainant one to his house under the pretence that they would look for her friend, who he knew he had previously assaulted.
She also highlighted a glaring contradiction in which Vergotine denied threatening child complainant two with a broken bottle, while simultaneously admitting he had a firearm on his person at the time.
"The accused did not make a good impression on the court as a witness, his testimony was filled with lies and contradiction," Van Leeve remarked.
In a brazen display as he was led down to the cells following the judgement, Vergotine turned to face the media, raised his middle finger and clearly uttered the words "f**k you."
If sentenced on all counts, Vergotine faces a lengthy prison term.
The case continues on Tuesday, when sentencing proceedings are expected to get under way.