Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung has deplored the criminal case involving Indonesian student Reynhard Sinaga who was found guilty this week of raping more than 130 men while studying in the United Kingdom, saying it tarnished Indonesia’s global reputation.

“The case, whether we like it or not, has smeared our reputation,” Pramono said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.

He said what Reynhard had done was against the norms and ethics held by Indonesians.

“Indonesians are known for our eastern ethics, politeness and our respect for one another,” he said while also raising concerns over the psychological impact on the victims.

Reynhard’s case made global headlines after a court in Manchester sentenced the 36-year-old PhD student to life on Monday on 136 counts of rape, eight counts of attempted rape, 13 counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault with penetration.

The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) called him “the worst-known sex offender in the country’s history” for attacking at least 195 men since moving to Britain as a student in 2007.

Moreover, Judge Suzanne Goddard described the man as “an evil sexual predator” who preyed on inebriated 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 arrested in 2017 after one of his victims woke up and managed to snatch his mobile phone and take it to police.

The CPS said detectives discovered 3.29 gigabytes of graphic material of the sexual assaults, equivalent to 250 DVDs or 300,000 photos. (vny)