Reynhard Sinaga: Victim of UK's most prolific rapist speaks out

  • Published
DanielImage source, BBC/Minnow Films
Image caption,

Daniel was attacked after a night out in Manchester in 2015

A victim of the UK's most prolific rapist Reynhard Sinaga has spoken of the sheer horror at discovering he had been attacked by the sexual predator.

Sinaga was jailed for life last year after being convicted of drugging and raping 48 men in his Manchester flat.

Police believe the post-graduate student had targeted more than 200 men.

Daniel, the first victim to waive his right to anonymity, said he "couldn't remember anything" when he woke up in Sinaga's flat.

It was only when Greater Manchester Police detectives showed him photographs of the attack two years later that he found out he had been raped.

"It is just horrible to see yourself that vulnerable in photographs that someone else has taken," he said.

"You can see I am comatose... I look dead."

Sinaga is serving a minimum of 40 years in jail after being convicted of 159 sexual offences in January 2020.

The 38-year-old, originally from Indonesia, "stalked" his victims who had became separated from friends on nights out before leading them to his Princess Street flat in Manchester city centre.

Image source, GMP
Image caption,

GMP have released a custody photograph taken of Sinaga, showing injuries he received after his final victim awoke during the attack

Speaking in BBC Two documentary Catching a Predator, Daniel said he decided to speak out to help other victims.

"To say as a man I have been raped is a hard thing," he said.

"It makes you feel so vulnerable."

Daniel had been on a night out in Manchester in 2015 celebrating his birthday with his partner and friends when they left to get a taxi home.

"I needed to go to the toilet so I went up an alleyway. I don't remember anything after that," he said.

The following morning he woke up on a sofa fully dressed feeling "groggy" and said he "could not remember anything".

"Then I saw someone's feet walking round and I just froze," he said.

"And then they left the room and I just got up and ran out the door."

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by any issues raised in this story, support and information is available at BBC Action Line.

Daniel said he never considered reporting it to police because he was "doubting himself", "felt stupid" and "didn't have a clue what had happened".

It was only when a detective working on the Sinaga investigation - which was launched in June 2017 - came to see him that the truth of those missing hours emerged.

"I could see the way she looked at me [that] she recognised me," he said.

Daniel said she showed him photographs of the attack, adding: "There was no denying it was me. You could see my tattoo."

"There is a bit of relief because you know what has happened finally and you can make sense of it but probably not the relief you want," he said.

Image source, BBC/Minnow Films
Image caption,

Det Con Dorothy Orr and Det Sgt Kimberley Hames-Evans worked on the Sinaga investigation

Sinaga was caught when one victim regained consciousness during the assault and fought him off before reporting it to police.

When officers seized Sinaga's phone they found he had filmed each of his attacks - amounting to hundreds of hours of footage - and launched the largest rape inquiry in British history.

Det Sgt Kimberley Hames-Evans said the footage found on the phone was "horrendous".

"There were videos upon videos of young men being sexually abused and raped," she said.

"We get lots of reports of rape but seldom do you actually see one happen with your own eyes."

Det Sgt Hames-Evans had to travel the "length and breadth of the country, even overseas" telling people what Sinaga had done to them.

"They just went very quiet and you [could] see the colour drain from their face. Just an 'oh my God' look on their face," she said.

"And I knew giving them that information that I've just ruined this person's life and you could see it."

Image source, BBC/Minnow Films
Image caption,

Daniel said he decided to speak out to help other victims

Det Con Dorothy Orr said the videos were "shocking" and "horrific", particularly because of the "helplessness" of the victims.

"When someone can take advantage of someone when they are physically ill and vomiting it is hideous," she said.

Iain Simkin, lead prosecutor in the case against Sinaga, described him as "savage" and said in one of the videos he filmed himself raping two men in his flat for hours.

He said it was "worse than a Gothic horror story".

The Crown Prosecution Service barrister said he hoped the case had raised awareness of male rape, describing it as "a graphic representation of the worst parts of human nature".

Daniel said he had been offered counselling "but nothing has been as helpful as talking to my dad".

"Men don't talk about male rape but his response was amazing," he said.

You can watch Catching a Predator on BBC Two at 21:00 GMT on Wednesday 6 October and afterwards on BBC iPlayer.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk