Indonesia to seek repatriation of serial rapist Reynhard Sinaga from UK prison

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government, through the Coordinating Ministry for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, is seeking to repatriate Reynhard Sinaga, a serial rapist currently serving a life sentence in the United Kingdom.

Ahmad Usmarwi Kaffah, the ministry’s special staff member for international relations, told local media on Tuesday (Feb 4) that negotiations with the British Embassy will soon take place to initiate the repatriation process.

“What’s clear is that in the near future, we are working to bring back our detainee in Britain - in what the British government calls a very high-profile case - namely Reynhard Sinaga,” said Ahmad, as quoted by local media outlet Viva. 

“We are working hard to facilitate his return and will soon begin negotiations.”

Ahmad added that his team had met Sinaga’s family, who have had limited communication with him.

A plea from the parents, Saibun Sinaga and Normawati Silaen, further adds to the reasons for repatriating the 41-year-old, said Ahmad. 

“We have asked his parents if they would agree, and they cried, wanting their child to come back. So far, they have received news that Reynhard faces difficulties communicating because the prison is very closed off,” he said.

The handover process will be conducted through a prisoner exchange mechanism, which differs from the repatriation schemes previously applied to detainees in Australia, the Philippines, and France, he added.

REYNHARD SINAGA’S HIGH-PROFILE CASE

Sinaga was sentenced to life imprisonment by Manchester Crown Court in January 2020 after being found guilty of 159 counts of rape and sexual assault against 48 victims between January 2015 and June 2017.

In January this year, Greater Manchester Police told CNA that they believe Sinaga committed offences against 212 men, around 60 of whom remain unidentified. 

Known as the most prolific rapist in British history, he targeted drunk or lost men outside nightclubs and pubs. Sinaga, who was then studying for a PhD at Leeds University, drugged and assaulted them in his apartment in downtown Manchester after inviting them to stay the night.

Most of his victims were heterosexual, white British men aged 18 to 36, with an average age of 21.

Reynhard is currently serving his sentence in HMP Wakefield in Yorkshire, one of the highest-security prisons in the UK housing around 800 inmates, including some of the most dangerous offenders.

On Jul 4, 2023, he became the target of an attack by another inmate, Jack McRae, who pleaded not guilty in a hearing on Tuesday, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.

As a result of the assault which nearly cost his life, Sinaga was reported to have suffered psychological distress.