Manchester

Police aim to trace 60 unidentified victims of Reynhard Sinaga

The PHD student called 'Britain's most prolific rapist' is believed to have assaulted as many as 206 men.

The Manc - 29th April 2021

The Manchester-based student revealed to be ‘Britain’s most prolific rapist’ has 60 victims who still remain unidentified, police have revealed.

Detectives say they are hoping to track down dozens of unknown men assaulted by the ‘evil’ Reynhard Sinaga – a serial offender who lured drunk men back to his flat in central Manchester.

Sinaga was convicted of 159 counts of sexual offences against 48 different men in 2020 as part of the largest prosecution of its kind in UK legal history.

But Greater Manchester Police say the number of actual victims may be even higher – with Sinaga thought to have committed offences against 206 men in total.

On 11 December 2020, the Court of Appeal ruled that Sinaga’s sentence of life imprisonment would be extended by a further 10 years – meaning he will remain behind bars until at least 2060.

During sentencing, Judge Suzanne Goddard QC recommended that Sinaga would “never be safe to be released.”

After Sinaga’s conviction became public, GMP’s Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain confirmed that 23 further victims were identified – many of whom had “been enjoying nights out in Manchester City Centre before being preyed on by Sinaga as they made their way home.”

This week, Detective Chief Inspector Zaheed Ali told the MEN that these 23 victims decided not to pursue further prosecution given Sinaga is “already serving a record sentence for rape offences.”

“That they are satisfied justice has been done is testament to the hard work of our officers, who were able to secure the evidence needed to put Sinaga in prison – where he belongs,” DCI Ali stated.

Dozens of victims, however, are yet to be found.

Sinaga committed his assaults whilst the victims were unconscious, meaning many have no memory of the incidents.

The DCI said that police wanted to identify the remaining men to offer appropriate support and “secure the maximum possible jail term” for Sinaga.

He stated: “GMP, working with partners including St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre and Survivors Manchester, will always be on hand to help anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence.”

Sinaga was jailed for incidents dating from 2015 to 2017, but police say he was offending for over a decade.

The Indonesian national, who was living on Princess Street in Manchester whilst studying for a PHD from the University of Leeds, was eventually caught when one of his victims regained consciousness during an assault and fought Sinaga off.

Police then seized Sinaga’s phone and found hundreds of hours of footage he had recorded of each attack.

The search for the unidentified victims continues.

Featured image: CPS