Conditional reversal in South Coast Botanic Garden rape case

An appellate court issued a conditional reversal Wednesday for four sexual assault convictions against a man who raped a 15-year-old girl at the South Coast Botanic Garden on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Antoine Reed, 45, lost his appeal on several other grounds, but convinced the 2nd District Court of Appeal that the trial judge should have allowed a hearing on whether he could call the victim's mother to the witness stand.

Reed said he wanted her to testify about why she didn't want a detective to question her daughter. Reed argued that it went toward the possibility that the mother believed detectives were manipulating the teen, who gave several versions of the incident.

The case will return to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing regarding the issue. Depending on the outcome, Reed could get a new trial.

Reed was convicted by a Torrance Superior Court jury in December 2007 of rape, oral copulation of a minor and two counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child.

He picked the girl up on Aug. 2, 2006, as she waited at a South Los Angeles bus stop before school. With promises of making her a model, he took her to the garden to photograph her.

After he took pictures, he pulled off her clothes and assaulted her.

He was sentenced to 110 years to life.

You can see the appellate opinion here.