'Britain's Most Prolific Rapist' Is Sentenced

Reynhard Sinaga gets life sentence; authorities says he may have had 200 victims
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 6, 2020 10:20 AM CST
'Most Prolific Rapist' in Britain Gets Life Sentence
This is an undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Reynhard Sinaga.   (GMP via AP)

A mild-mannered student who prosecutors say led a double life as "Britain's most prolific rapist" has just earned another life sentence. Reynhard Sinaga, 36, has so far been convicted of 136 rapes of men in multiple trials, reports the Guardian. Based on evidence from Sinaga's phone, however, authorities believe he had at least 70 more victims. The latest life sentence, requiring a minimum imprisonment of 30 years, was handed out Monday. "You are an evil serial sexual predator who has preyed upon young men who came into the city center wanting nothing more than a good night out with their friends," said Judge Suzanne Goddard said in Manchester Crown Court, per the AP. "Rarely if ever have the courts seen such a campaign of rape covering so many victims over such a prolonged period," she added, per the Guardian.

Sinaga, an Indonesia native who arrived in Britain in 2007, was studying for his PhD at the University of Leeds when he was arrested in 2017. Prosecutors say he followed a familiar pattern for years: He would befriend young, drunken men outside bars, offer them a place to crash, and then drug and sexually assault them. Authorities say Sinaga filmed many of the rapes of the unconscious men, many of whom had no idea they'd been assaulted until police knocked on their door years after the fact. "We suspect he's offended over a period of 10 years," said Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain, who acknowledges that the true number of victims may never be known, per the BBC. "The information and evidence we are going from is largely from trophies that he's collected from the victims of his crimes." (In the US, genealogy results led to the arrests of two suspected serial rapists.)

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