A man described as “Britain’s most prolific rapist” will never be safe to be released, a court heard on 6th January 2020 as he was jailed for a minimum of 30 years for 136 rapes against dozens of young men in Manchester.

Reynhard Sinaga, 36, a mature student from Indonesia, is thought by police to have abused at least 195 men over two and a half years after luring them to his flat under the guise of being a “good Samaritan”, drugging his victims and then attacking them after they passed out.

The student was proved to have committed 159 offences, including 136 rapes, which he filmed on two mobile phones. Police have yet to identify at least 70 of his victims. Sinaga mostly preyed on undergraduates in their late teens or early 20s.

He would go out after midnight to wait outside clubs, usually Factory or Fifth, and prey on mostly heterosexual young men who had been kicked out by bouncers or lost their friends or partners. Some had no money for a cab home or their phone batteries had run out, while others had been sick.

All were in a state of inebriation when they were approached by the slight, smiling man in black-rimmed glasses, who appeared harmless. When he asked the men if they wanted to come back to his flat and sleep on the floor or have a few more drinks, they agreed.

When Greater Manchester police examined Sinaga’s digital devices, they discovered 3.29TB of extremely graphic material – equivalent to 250 DVDs or 300,000 photos – depicting sexual assaults lasting in one case for eight hours.

Forty-eight of Sinaga’s victims agreed to give evidence against him at Manchester crown court, which meant the case had to be split into four separate trials, the first beginning in May 2018 and the final one finishing just before Christmas 2019. Some of the victims were shielded from Sinaga by screens or appeared via video link. Others were in open court.

Sentencing him at Manchester crown court on Monday, Judge Suzanne Goddard QC described Sinaga as a “dangerous, deeply disturbed and perverted individual with no sense of reality”, who should never be released from prison.

She added: “You are an evil serial sexual offender who preyed on young men who came into the city centre wanting nothing more than a good night with their friends. Rarely, if ever, have the courts seen such a campaign of rape covering so many victims over such a prolonged period.”

Victims described how their careers and personal relationships had suffered as a result of the abuse. Several said they had turned to alcohol and become socially isolated, unable even to tell close relatives or friends about what happened.

One teenager described Sinaga as “an evil predator” and “faceless monster”, and said the day he was told by police that he had been raped “changed my life for ever”. He said he began drinking heavily and having panic attacks, and considered self-harm, abandoning a teaching course.

Another man, who had a promising career when he was attacked by Sinaga, said he would have killed himself were it not for his mother, one of the only family members or friends he had been able to tell what had happened.

“I’m at the point now where I feel life could not get any worse. This has been my worst nightmare become a reality,” he said in a statement read to the Court.

As a result of the physical and psychological harm caused, Sinaga’s victims may be entitled to claim compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA is a government funded body for the victims of blameless crimes.

Here at Farleys Solicitors we represent hundreds of victims who have been  subjected to horrific sexual assaults. For these clients we realise there is unfortunately no getting away from the horrendous assaults they have endured, however pursuing a claim can often help to bring closure to their ordeal, as well as providing valuable resources to fund medical treatments and therapy they may require.

Our dedicated team at Farleys support victims throughout the whole process, treating each and every case with the sensitivity, confidentiality and integrity it fully deserves. The specialist team can be contacted in confidence on 0330 134 6430, or by email through our online contact form.