'Britain's most prolific sex attacker' jailed in Manchester
36 year old Reynhard Sinaga has been convicted of 159 offences - after luring men to his flat, from outside clubs in the city centre.
Last updated 6th Jan 2020
A serial rapist operating in Manchester has been jailed for life - after being found guilty of nearly 160 sex offences.
The sentencing - which took place at Manchester Crown Court, Crown Square – comes at the conclusion of four separate trials, the details of which can now be reported.
During the course of each trial, the court heard how Sinaga would target men who were alone and potentially vulnerable before approaching them in the street.
Sinaga would then strike up a conversation with his intended victim, before convincing them to come back to his home under false pretences, taking advantage of their trusting nature. Once inside he would offer them a drink which, unbeknownst to the men, would contain a substance – believed to be GHB – that would render them unconscious.
"I knew I had to face up to reality of what had happened [and be] asked questions that would haunt me" - one victim
With his victim unconscious, Sinaga would rape and sexually assault the men whilst filming his horrific acts.
Sinaga was completely unknown to police and his offending - which is believed to have taken place between 2005 and 2017 - only came to light in June 2017, when one of his victims woke up during one of the sickening attacks and fought him off.
After the incident was reported to police, the scale of his offending soon became apparent and he was swiftly arrested and charged before being remanded into custody.
Including the men that Sinaga has been found guilty of attacking, the investigation team found evidence linking over 190 potential victims to him - as well as almost 3 terrabytes of footage.
Sinaga acted as a Good Samaritan
None of his victims suspected the malevolent intentions of the 36-year-old mature student as he approached them in the street.
The 36 year old convinced many of his victims he had done them a favour by offering them a floor to sleep on for the night.
From his flat near Manchester's Gay Village, Sinaga targeted lone young men who were worse for wear from alcohol after being separated from friends or on their way home.
One said Sinaga was "really nice'' and "looked after him'' after he lost his friends and his phone battery had ran out.
Another thought the defendant had acted as a Good Samaritan after Sinaga said he looked after him when he found him lying on the ground near a hotel.
Manchester Crown Court heard one complainant was sitting on the kerbside after the battery on his mobile phone was drained and he was approached by Sinaga. The defendant invited him to his apartment to charge the device but instead went on to drug and sexually violate him on camera.
He too believed Sinaga had acted as a Good Samaritan and was grateful before he eventually learned the full horror of what had happened to him when the police called.
A third man fell victim to Sinaga's phone charge ruse as he attempted to flag down a taxi when he was unable to order an Uber journey.
"I don’t think I will ever be okay with what has happened" - one victim statement
Several of his victims felt guilty when they awoke the next day for troubling a stranger who they thought had provided them with somewhere to stay or for being sick in his flat.
Others felt they had undergone a "weird experience'' but none had any real concerns or suspicions, with one complainant telling the court: "I thought briefly he might have done something, but I thought stuff like that doesn't happen.''
None of the victims, of whom 45 were heterosexual and 26 were students, when contacted by the police wanted to know the detail of what happened to them.
Two attempted suicide as a result of severe depression.
Police were unable to identify all the victims
Greater Manchester Police are now urging anyone who believes Reynhard Sinaga may have approached them on a night out to get in touch.
Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain says, "My first appeal would be to anybody who may think they have had contact with Reynhard Sinaga, the circumstances as reported have brought back some memories and they suspect they have been on a night out and met somebody like Reynhard Sinaga to contact the police.
"We have specialist officers waiting, we have a helpline where the numbers are available and we are working with specialist victim support services including St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Survivors Manchester and Victims' Services.
He went on: "We believe Reynhard Sinaga is the UK's most prolific rapist and the reason I say that is because on the information and evidence we suspect there are in total 190 victims approximately who have been involved.
"We can't give you a definitive figure for obvious reasons. Forty-eight of them have supported a criminal prosecution.
"Of that 190 there are approximately 70 that we are still yet to identify and the reason we have still yet to identify them is despite our best efforts, and the investigation team working tirelessly to piece together the information, we have been unable to identify who each individual is to speak to them. There is still some work for us to do.''
He said officers had undertaken a "very very difficult'' investigation with almost three terabytes of data pored over - the equivalent of watching 1,500 DVD films.
Mr Hussain explained: "One of my officers described it as like putting together a jigsaw without the picture because it was not apparent which parts were from which offence.
"Each visit to each of these victims has had to be carefully and meticulously planned, and their welfare and wellbeing was at the forefront of our mind in dealing with the victims.''
He said Sinaga was a "depraved sexual predator'' who had taken advantage of trusting young men, but he added: "I think we need to concentrate less on Reynhard Sinaga as an individual and focus much more on each individual victim who has either supported the prosecution or provided evidence and information.
"I cannot begin to imagine what they have had to endure, what they have had to go through and what they are still living with today.''
If you have been affected by this case or believe that you may have been a victim of Reynhard Sinaga, then please contact police or specialist support agencies using the contact details below.
Reports can be made online via the Major Incident Public Portal: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP19V24-PO2
If you wish to speak to police and make a report relating to Reynhard Sinaga, then please contact: 0800 092 0410 (calls made from within the UK) / 0207158 0124 (international calls).
If you have been affected by this case and would like to seek support from specialist agencies, then please contact: 0800 056 0154 (calls made from within the UK) / 0207158 0011 (international calls).
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