LONDON (AP) — A man described as “the most prolific rapist in British legal history” has been sentenced to life in prison with a possible release after 30 years following his conviction for sexual offenses against 48 men.
Authorities said the evidence against 36-year-old Reynhard Sinaga indicates he had many more victims, with roughly 195 men apparently having been filmed while being abused when they were in his apartment. Many were unconscious at the time.
Judge Suzanne Goddard said in Manchester Crown Court the true number of Sinaga's victims may never be known.
“You are an evil serial sexual predator who has preyed upon young men who came into the city center wanting nothing more than a good night out with their friends," she said. “One of your victims described you as a monster. The scale and enormity of your offending confirms this as an accurate description."
She said the courts had rarely if ever seen such a prolonged “campaign of rape." Reporting restrictions that had prevented the publication of Sinaga's name were lifted Monday.
Prosecutors say Sinaga had a non-threatening manner. He befriended young men, including many who were intoxicated after a night out, and offered them a place to stay at his apartment. He filmed many of the forced sexual encounters.
Prosecutor Ian Rushton said many victims initially thanked Sinaga for offering them accommodation.
“But once back at his flat, he used victims as objects purely for his own gratification," Rushton said.
Sinaga arrived in Britain from his native Indonesia on a student visa in 2007. He received two degrees in sociology and planning from the University of Manchester and was studying for his PhD at the University of Leeds when he was suspended following his arrest in 2017.
His thesis was called: “Sexuality and everyday transnationalism. South Asian gay and bisexual men in Manchester."
His Manchester church offered a statement in support of his character that did not seem to sway the judge.
“It is almost beyond belief that someone who could profess some Christian faith could at the same time have been committing such wicked and evil crimes," she said.
The company formerly known as Weight Watchers is shedding its image as a weight-loss company and is now "WW," with a focus on overall wellness. CEO Mindy Grossman said if Amazon is for shopping, Netflix is for entertainment, and Spotify is for music, then WW is for everything about well-being.
The co-founder of satire site The Onion is hitting back against Tesla CEO Elon Musk for poaching his staff writers. In his new book "Welcome to the Future: Which is Mine By Not Elon Musk," Scott Dikkers shares what he believes goes on in Musk's mind... and throws in a few jabs like only an Onion writer can.
Ro, originally known as Roman, recently raised $88 million in funding which it intends to use to expand into the new business. The "Zero" brand offers a nicotine gum and an app to help people quit smoking. Co-Founder and CRO Rob Schutz said the product comes at a comparable price to others on the market.
Facebook and Twitter have gotten the brunt of questions from the government, but so far Reddit has largely escaped scrutiny, despite seeing significant outside meddling on its platform. Christine Lagorio-Chafkin, author of "We Are the Nerds" documenting the history of Reddit, said the site has seen Russian influence before, during, and after the election, and the fight to prevent it has been an uphill battle.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Bloomberg published a report on Thursday that the Chinese government placed microchips in Apple and Amazon servers to gain access to intellectual property and trade secrets. Both tech giants, chip maker Super Micro, and Beijing all strongly denied the report.
In the age of the internet, even comics have gone online.
Tapas Media works with over 34 thousand creators to bring their comics to life on its open platform. Chang Kim, CEO and founder of Tapas Media joins Cheddar to discuss how his site has reached 3 billion views.
The actress's mother, Leslie Cockburn, is an award-winning journalist who is turning her focus to the people of Virginia's fifth district. Wilde is hosting a rally at UVA with her fiancé Jason Sudeikis on Oct. 14.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Dipayan Ghosh, fellow at the Shorenstein Center and a former adviser to both Facebook and the Obama White House, said that big tech has been ignoring "the little guy" for a long time and putting tech users and their privacy at risk.
