UK's most prolific serial rapist jailed for 30 years after preying on drunk men in Manchester

The UK's most prolific serial rapist has been jailed for life after drugging at least 48 men and film himself sex acts while they were unconscious in his city centre apartment.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Police have linked Reynhard Sinaga to more than 190 potential victims in total - 70 of whom they have not yet been able to identify.

The 36-year-old went out in the early hours of the morning, hunting for lone, drunk young men around nightclubs near his flat in Manchester.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The slightly-built Indonesian student posed as a Good Samaritan who offered them a floor to sleep on or promised them more drink, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Reynhard Sinaga who has been has been jailed at Manchester Crown Court for lifeReynhard Sinaga who has been has been jailed at Manchester Crown Court for life
Reynhard Sinaga who has been has been jailed at Manchester Crown Court for life

His victims - who were mainly heterosexual - had little or no memory of the hours that followed as Sinaga filmed the assaults on his mobile phone, and they later left the apartment unaware they had been violated.

The rapist was caught when one of the men regained consciousness and fought him off before he went to the police and crucially handed in Sinaga's phone.

On Monday, Sinaga was jailed for life and must serve a minimum of 30 years in custody before he can be considered for parole.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Judge Suzanne Goddard QC, who told the court his total number of potential victims was 195, said Sinaga was a monster.

The bottles of alcohol which were used to spike victims in the home of Reynhard Sinaga.The bottles of alcohol which were used to spike victims in the home of Reynhard Sinaga.
The bottles of alcohol which were used to spike victims in the home of Reynhard Sinaga.

The judge told the defendant: "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.

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

Details of the case - the UK's largest ever rape prosecution - can be made public after reporting restrictions were lifted following the end of four trials.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sinaga claimed the men consented to being recorded playing a sex game in which they pretended to be dead to fulfil his fantasies - a defence labelled "preposterous" by prosecutor Iain Simkin as jurors saw footage of some victims snoring.

The bedroom floor, where dozens of rapes took placeThe bedroom floor, where dozens of rapes took place
The bedroom floor, where dozens of rapes took place

He was found guilty of a total of 159 offences committed between January 2015 and May 2017 - 136 counts of rape, 13 counts of sexual assault, eight counts of attempted rape and two counts of assault by penetration.

Many of the complainants had earlier been to the city centre nightclubs Factory and Fifth Avenue.

Sinaga's apartment, situated next to Factory in Princess Street, provided a perfect vantage point from which to identify his targets.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is thought he laced alcoholic drinks with a drug such as GHB, also known as liquid ecstasy.

Rapist Reynhard Sinaga on Princess Street, Manchester.Rapist Reynhard Sinaga on Princess Street, Manchester.
Rapist Reynhard Sinaga on Princess Street, Manchester.

Overdoses of the odourless, colourless substance can kill, the court heard, but it was a risk that Sinaga was prepared to take with complete strangers to satisfy his perverted desires.

Sinaga kept "trophies" of his crimes, such as watches and wallets.

He also downloaded social media pages from some of some of his victims, gleaned from personal identification they were carrying, and took still photographs of many of them while they were naked or semi-naked.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The court heard that none of the victims - many in their late teens or early 20s - wanted to know details of what had happened to them when traced by police and some have chosen not to tell their family or close friends of the trauma.

Sinaga tested negative for HIV after he was arrested.

Jurors had to watch the mobile phone footage as Sinaga persisted with his defence and all were later uniquely offered counselling.

Last June, Sinaga was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years for the convictions from his first two trials.

Reporting restrictions were put in place to avoid prejudice to subsequent trials and to avoid the possibility of potential victims and witnesses being deterred from giving evidence or coming forward.