LONDON: An Indonesian student described as Britain’s most prolific rapist was jailed for life on Monday for a catalogue of sex offences on unsuspecting men he drugged and assaulted.

Manchester Crown Court in northwest England was told Reynhard Sinaga may have attacked as many as 195 men, luring them into his flat with the offer of a place to stay or alcohol. Judge Suzanne Goddard described the 36-year-old from Indonesia’s Jambi province as “an evil sexual predator” who preyed on drunken young men on nights out.

He is thought to have used sedatives to render his victims unconscious before filming the attacks. Most knew nothing about the assaults. He was caught only when one victim woke up.

“One of your victims described you as a monster,” Goddard said. “The scale and enormity of your offending confirms this as an accurate description.” She recommended he serve at least 30 years behind bars.

Sinaga was convicted of 159 offences, including 136 rapes and eight attempted rapes, at four separate trials, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The first trial began in June 2018. The last ended last December. None could be reported until restrictions imposed to avoid prejudicing juries were lifted on Monday.

The CPS said Sinaga was suspected of attacking “scores” more men since he moved to Britain in 2007, calling him “the worst-known sex offender in the country’s history”.

The deputy chief crown prosecutor for northwest England, Ian Rushton, said: “Reynhard Sinaga is the most prolific rapist in British legal history.”

“His extreme sense of sexual entitlement almost defies belief and he would no doubt still be adding to his staggering tally had he not been caught.

“Sinaga’s unthreatening demeanour duped these young men — many of whom thanked him for his kindness in offering them a place to stay — into thinking this monster was a Good Samaritan.

“But once back at his flat he used victims as objects purely for his own gratification -- then appears to have derived further twisted pleasure from re-watching his films in court and putting victims through the trauma of giving evidence.” Sinaga, a slightly built, young-looking doctorate student, had claimed his mainly heterosexual victims were acting out his sexual fantasy to play dead during intercourse.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2020