Reynhard Sinaga was convicted of 159 sex offences, including 136 rapes, and been given a life sentence which must include a minimum of 30 years in jail.
Reporting restrictions were lifted at a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court, meaning that Sinaga would be identified for the first time following four separate trials. He 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. Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Zed Ali explained that the reporting restrictions “assisted these brave young men to give evidence in a safe environment.” Detectives say they have been unable to identify a further 70 victims and are appealing for anyone who believes they may have been abused to come forward.
Sinaga lured victims to his flat, drugged them and then assaulted them whilst they were unconscious. When the victims woke up many of them had no memory of what had happened and only became aware that they had been raped when they were contacted by police. Only one victim had been to the police due to being suspicious of the circumstances and his memory loss, with DNA recovered from his clothing not matching anyone on the police system at the time. Six weeks later it matched Sinaga’s DNA following his arrest.
He was caught in June 2017 when one victim regained consciousness whilst being assaulted and was able to fight him off and called the police. When officers seized Sinaga’s phone they discovered hundreds of hours of footage leading to the launch of the largest rape inquiry in British history. The true extent of his offending will probably never be known, but Assistant Chief Constable Mabbs Hussain has said that the police suspect he has offended over a period of 10 years.
Jurors in the trials heard moving testimony from the victims, which ultimately led to Sinaga’s convictions. Many testified in person, reading victim impact statements. Some gave evidence by videolink. Several spoke of developing depression and anxiety. One young man gave evidence that when the police told him what had happened it “crushed” him, and sadly he attempted suicide after finding out. Other statements describe that Sinaga had “destroyed a part of my life” and one man said “I have periods where I can’t get up and face the day.” Another said that finding out about the assault from the police had “changed my life forever” and described how he began drinking heavily and having panic attacks, and considered self-harm and abandoning a teaching course. Another said he would have committed suicide if not for his mother, one of the only family members or friends he had been able to tell what had happened.
Victims of violent crimes, such as these sexual assaults, are able to apply for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. This is a government funded scheme designed to compensate blameless victims of violent crimes. Payments are calculated and awarded by reference to a tariff of injuries, which can compensate for sexual and physical abuse but also mental injury following a crime of violence.
Payments under the scheme can be complex in relation to the extent of mental injuries following crimes such as a serious sexual assault and also any compensation which may be awarded for future losses. The CICA will often set up a specialist team to deal with situations where multiple Claimants arise from the same set of facts such as a terrorist atrocity. This may also happen with Sinaga’s victims.
To read more about CICA claims please click here or to read some of our recent case studies please click here.
Farleys specialist abuse team can be contacted in confidence on 0330 134 6430 or contact the team by email.
Greater Manchester Police said anyone who believes they might have been attacked by Sinaga can report information online or call its police line on 0800 092 0410 from inside the UK or 0207 158 0124 from abroad.
The police force have said that anyone in need of support from specialist agencies can call 0800 056 0154 from within the UK or 0207 158 0011 from abroad.
