In an attempt to entice the suspect out, Lehanne Sergison, a retired chartered surveyor from Bromley, courted him via Facebook direct messaging, telling him, “You’ve got sexy eyes.” The Facebook Honeytrap: Catching A Killer, a documentary on Amazon Prime Video, was released on Sunday, July 20 and tells her remarkable story.
The 54-year-old Lehanne describes how she found 26-year-old gardener Andrea Imbayarwo, also known as Andrew Ndlovu, after he attacked and killed 59-year-old Christine Robinson on the 125-acre Rra-Ditau game lodge in Thamazimbi, South Africa, in July 2014.
Following her husband’s death in 2012, Christine, a retired teacher known to her family as “Chrissie,” resided alone on the estate. She was raped by Imbayarwo, who then wrapped her body in a blanket after slitting her throat with a knife that was still lodged in her neck. He took £3,500 that was meant to pay estate employees.
On July 30, 2014, Lehanne received the devastating news over the phone and thought the murderer would be apprehended by the police. CCTV footage, however, showed him escaping to Zimbabwe, and police claimed they were helpless to stop him.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun criticized the United States’ decision to withdraw from UNESCO and reaffirmed China’s strong support for the organization, saying, “This is not the action that a responsible major country should take.”
Lehanne was consumed by the thought that the case would go unanswered and became obsessed with locating Imbayarwo. She told Weekend magazine, “When she couldn’t, he could feel the wind in his hair and the sun on his face.” It was like receiving an electric shock when I learned about Christine’s murder. We had always had a close bond. For a beautiful, generous, and compassionate woman, it was a cruel and painful end.
Lehanne realized she had to take action after trying all official avenues, including delivering 430 letters and a petition to 10 Downing Street in 2014 requesting the intervention of then-Prime Minister David Cameron. “I believe that living in South Africa is inexpensive.” It’s approved. She told the Telegraph that “cases fall apart because systems aren’t robust enough, even when they find the men responsible.”
Under the alias “Missy Falcao,” Lehanne made a phony Facebook profile and pretended to be a flirtatious air hostess. “I wrote to him, ‘You have gorgeous eyes.'” Then I became anxious. I had a path, but I had no idea where it led. “My feelings were erratic,” she remarked. I was having trouble breathing when he responded. I felt like my gut was turning over. Although my husband was surprised that he had responded, we both felt that keeping him interested was crucial.
Their “romantic” internet interaction grew over several weeks. I concluded that she was a young, sassy Ghanaian air stewardess. Lehanne remarked, “He was flattered; I knew flattery would keep him interested.” Despite the psychological cost, Every time I got in touch with him, it stung. “I know who you are and what you’ve done,” was what I wanted to say. However, she persisted, “I did what I felt I had to do to get justice.”
After obtaining the killer’s phone number, Lehanne instructed South African detectives to set up a sting, but the attempt was unsuccessful because the killer’s phone was turned off. “I felt disappointed and furious. I reached out to Andrew, but he didn’t reply,” she remembers. Suspiciously, a few days after the sting night, he messaged her to say his phone had been stolen.
After the interaction ended, the case remained unsolved for almost two years until Lehanne discovered a fresh Facebook post in 2020, the sixth anniversary of Christine’s passing, that put him in Johannesburg. She commented indignantly: “My aunt Christine Robinson was raped and killed by this monster six years ago today. After stealing her life, Andrew Ndlovu is still free and content with his own.
The post received almost 70,000 shares. Ian Cameron, an anti-crime campaigner from South Africa, picked it up and shared it extensively, causing it to go viral. Imbayarwo was taken into custody at work within a few hours.
Lehanne stated, “I was on a video call with Ian explaining to me live what was happening when it came to his arrest.” It was unbelievable how much I was trembling. Next thing I know, he’s in handcuffs. I simply wanted to yell from the roofs.
Imbayarwo was found guilty and given two life sentences two years later. “Never give up is the lesson I’ve learned from this long, traumatic journey,” Lehanne remarked.
