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Reynhard Sinaga is described as the “most prolific rapist in British legal history”. Photo: Greater Manchester Police via AP

Indonesian student Reynhard Sinaga, Britain’s worst rapist, jailed for life for sexually assaulting 48 men

  • The 36-year-old targeted drunk men in bars and offered them a place to stay at his flat, where he filmed many of the forced sexual encounters
  • Authorities said evidence against Sinaga indicated he had many more victims, many of whom were unconscious at the time
Agencies
A student from Indonesia was identified as Britain’s most prolific rapist on Monday after being convicted of more than 150 offences, including 136 rapes.

In four separate trials, Reynhard Sinaga, 36, was found guilty of assaulting 48 men whom he drugged after taking them back to his apartment from outside bars and clubs in the city of Manchester.

Many of the victims were lured by the offer of a place to sleep or more drink, and Sinaga filmed the assaults on his mobile phone, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

At a court in Manchester, a judge ruled that Sinaga must serve at least 30 years in prison for 159 offences committed between January 2015 and May 2017, and lifted reporting restrictions.

One of your victims described you as a monster. The scale and enormity of your offending confirms this as an accurate description.
Judge Suzanne Goddard

Ian Rushton, a government prosecutor, described Sinaga as the “most prolific rapist in British legal history”.

Authorities said the evidence indicated he had many more victims, with roughly 195 men apparently having been filmed while being abused when they were in his flat. Many were unconscious at the time.

Judge Suzanne Goddard said in Manchester Crown Court the true number of Sinaga’s victims may never be known.

“You are an evil serial sexual predator who has preyed upon young men who came into the city centre wanting nothing more than a good night out with their friends,” she said.

Images used in evidence in convicting Reynhard Sinaga: alcohol bottles in Sinaga’s flat and a sleeping area in Sinaga’s flat. Photo: The Crown Prosecution Service via Reuters

“One of your victims described you as a monster. The scale and enormity of your offending confirms this as an accurate description.”

She said the courts had rarely if ever seen such a prolonged “campaign of rape”. Reporting restrictions that had prevented the publication of Sinaga’s name were lifted on Monday.

Prosecutors say Sinaga had a non-threatening manner. He befriended young men, including many who were intoxicated after a night out, and offered them a place to stay at his flat. He filmed many of the forced sexual encounters.

Prosecutor Rushton said many victims initially thanked Sinaga for offering them accommodation.

“But once back at his flat, he used victims as objects purely for his own gratification,” Rushton said.

Sinaga arrived in Britain from his native Indonesia on a student visa in 2007. He received two degrees in sociology and planning from the University of Manchester, and was studying for his PhD at the University of Leeds when he was suspended following his arrest in 2017.

His thesis was called “Sexuality and everyday transnationalism. South Asian gay and bisexual men in Manchester”.

His church in Manchester offered a statement in support of his character that did not seem to sway the judge.

“It is almost beyond belief that someone who could profess some Christian faith could at the same time have been committing such wicked and evil crimes,” she said.

Reuters and Associated Press

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Country’s most prolific rapist gets 30 years in jail
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