A Manchester student who raped hundreds of men in his City Centre flat can now be identified after the conclusion and sentencing at his trial in Manchester today
Thirty six year old Reynhard Sinaga was convicted of 159 sexual offences, believed to be the country’s most prolific predator was was already serving a life sentence, with a minimum term of 20 years, after being sentenced in relation to two trials and today he has been sentenced in relation to two more trials with the minimum tariff for his life sentence extended to 30 years.
A large part of Sinaga’s offending took place in the bedroom but some did take place in the living room. The final victim was raped in the bathroom before he woke up during the ordeal. Sinaga’s blood was found on the door of one of the rooms in his flat, ended up on there as a result of the struggle he had with the final victim, which left him seriously injured.
The Indonesian national, a post graduate student, was found guilty of 136 counts of rape, eight counts of attempted rape, 14 counts of sexual assault, and one count of assault by penetration, against a total of 48 victims.Police though believe that he may have assaulted many more – potentially upwards of 190, 79 of whom they have not yet been able to identify.
CCTV footage showed Sinaga preparing for an attack in May 2017, leaving his flat around 1am and walking through the streets around his home before finding a victim.Sinaga would prey upon men who were young, drunk and alone.All but a few of Sinaga’s victims were white, heterosexual men their average age was just 21.
Sinaga gave his victims a drink laced with gamma hydroxybutyrate, also known as GHB or the “date-rape drug”.Because of the nature of the drug, the majority of victims had memory loss and had no idea that they’d been raped.
He was finally discovered in June 2017 when a victim woke up mid-attack and called the police.Officers who searched his flat found days’ worth of footage that Sinaga had recorded of him carrying out the attacks.
The court heard how Sinaga routinely copied his victims’ Facebook profiles and stole their photos. The prosecution said there was evidence he was collating or cataloguing his victims.
Sinaga pleaded not guilty throughout, claiming the attacks were consensual.
As part of a defence that was dismissed by prosecutor Iain Simkin as “ludicrous”, Sinaga told jurors he had sex with strangers on the floor of his flat because he did not want to “make a mess of my bed”.
He claimed the complainants approached him in the street before they went to his apartment, where they agreed to indulge his fantasy of sexual activity while they pretended to be dead.
Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “Reynhard Sinaga is a depraved individual, who targeted potentially vulnerable men that he had spotted walking on their own after a night out.
“He would strike up a conversation with them before leading them back to his flat under a false premise and drugging them before subjecting them to sickening abuse, all the while recording the attacks as they took place.
“Not much was known about Reynhard Sinaga prior to his final victim telling police of his ordeal and he had never previously come to the attention of GMP with regards to any criminal incidents.
“To the rest of the world he came across as an engaged member of society who was studying for a PHD qualification and had a small circle of law-abiding friends that he would socialise with. However beneath that façade was a serial sex offender, who we now believe to be Britain’s most prolific rapist. The fact that he was able to cover-up his true nature for so long, just serves as further evidence of his calculating criminal nature.
“I want to be clear that Sinaga is just one appalling individual and he should not be considered as being reflective of any community.
“I do not wish to waste another word on Reynhard Sinaga. Instead, I would now like to pay tribute to his victims, many of whom did not know for certain what had happened to them until they received a visit from the police, after they had been identified from the videos taken by Sinaga.
“I can only imagine how devastating this news must have been for them but the bravery that these men have shown in engaging with officers and support workers in an effort to come to terms with what happened is nothing short of incredible.
“Many of these men have stood up in court and provided evidence, which detailed the significant impact these offences have had on their lives. We appreciate this can be a daunting experience and it truly does take a lot of courage to stand up in court and tell your story.
“Finally, I would like to thank the investigation team for the meticulous work that they have put in since this inquiry was launched. They, along with colleagues from the Crown Prosecution Service, St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre and Survivors Manchester, have made supporting and seeking justice for those affected by Sinaga their absolute priority.
“Even with the video evidence, this was not a straight forward case and it required round the clock work, including consulting with subject matter experts, carrying out detailed research, arranging pre-trial court visits for witnesses and other vital tasks.
“Many of the team also had to sit and watch the horrifying videos that Sinaga created, which has undoubtedly had a personal impact on them. Without their work, there would be more victims out there who were unaware of exactly what had happened to them and without any specialist support being provided.
“I hope the work of the investigation team sends out a clear message that Greater Manchester Police is prepared to invest time and resources into bringing those who carry out sex offences to justice as well as work alongside partner agencies to provide victims with any support they need.”
Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, said: “Reynhard Sinaga is a vile individual who preyed upon his victims in a disturbing and depraved manner. Today, he has rightly been brought to justice.
“Both the nature of Sinaga’s appalling crimes and their scale are shocking. This has been a deeply distressing and disturbing case and I want to thank Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the Crown Prosecution Service and other partners for their relentless and meticulous work on what is believed to be the largest rape investigation in British judicial history.
“I particularly want to praise the victims and survivors for their bravery and courage throughout these trials – it has been an immensely challenging and upsetting time.
“The police, St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Survivors Manchester, Victim Support, the National Probation Service and other partner agencies have worked together to provide victims and survivors with the best possible support throughout the trials.
“I also want to echo GMP’s appeal for further victims of Sinaga to come forward, so we can ensure they get the support they need. I also want to urge anyone who has been a victim of any rape or sexual assault to come forward and report it to police, confident that they will receive the help and support they need.
“Greater Manchester is a resilient place. We have undergone traumas in the past and, together, come through them. Sinaga is an appalling individual, who acted alone and is now off our streets. He is in no way representative of our city-region and people should not be fearful of enjoying all that Manchester city centre has to offer.”
