Reynhard Sinaga's Sentence Is Still Considered Light

Illustration of Reynhard Sinaga (Ilham Amin / VOI)

JAKARTA - Some time ago, the public was shocked by crimes committed by Indonesian citizens (WNI) in Manchester, England. Indonesian citizen named Reynhard Sinaga (36), was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping at least 195 men.

Reynhard in the UK is currently pursuing doctoral studies. Before being arrested by police, he was described as the 'most prolific rapist' in the country. Although he has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum imprisonment of 30 years, the sanction is still considered too light.

The Prosecutor's Office for England and Wales is requesting that Reynhard's sentence be carried out in full for life with no minimum limit. The prosecutor said that he had written a letter to the Attorney General regarding the proposal.

"The case of Reynhard Sinaga is unprecedented in history. We take a variety of factors into account each time we bring the case to court. The main consideration is the impact on the sentence brings further prosecution and we believe we are doing everything we can to ensure the court has sufficient legal force and justice is served in this case, "said a spokesman, quoted by the BBC, Thursday, January 16, 2020.

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox will make a decision on whether to send Reynhard's case to the Court of Appeal on February 3.

Judge Suzanne Goddard said Reynhard was an "evil sexual predator" who never showed remorse during the trial. The trial lasted 18 months at the Manchester Court.

During the trial, Reynhard Sinaga looked emotionless, as if he had never committed sexual harassment which had claimed up to 195 victims. In addition, Reynhard argued that everything he did was consensual.

"The true scale of your offense may never be known, but police have identified 195 different men who appeared to be unconscious while you sexually assaulted them on the footage you made," he said.

Despite the minimum prison term of 30 years, Judge Goddard said it was up to the parole supervisory board whether Reynhard could be released on condition or not.