Attorney General asks Court of Appeal to consider whole life tariff for Britain's worst ever rapist, Reynhard Sinaga

Britain's most prolific rapist, Reynhard Sinaga, could become the first non-murderer given a whole life prison tariff after the Attorney General,asked the Court of Appeal to reconsider the case.

Sinaga, 36, was jailed for a minimum of 30-years last week, after being convicted of carrying out 159 sex attacks on 48 different men.

But Mr Cox has referred the case to the Court of Appeal, after prosecutors suggested the sentence was not severe enough given the gravity of his crimes.

The judge in the case, Suzanne Goddard QC, told Sinaga she had considered handing down a whole life tariff, describing it as a "borderline" case.

But eventually told Sinaga he would be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 30-years.

But Mr Cox has asked the Court of Appeal to consider whether Sinaga should ever be released or whether he should die in jail.

Mr Cox said: “After carefully considering the details of this case, I have decided to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal. Sinaga carried out an egregious number of attacks, over a prolonged period of time causing substantial pain and psychological suffering to his victims.

“It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence.”

There are currently around 75 prisoners in the UK who have been told they will never be released, but all have been convicted of murder.

Sinaga would be the first rapist to be handed a whole life tariff if the Court of Appeal decides to increase his sentence.

While the Indonesian born student was convicted of raping and assaulting 48 different men over two and a half years, it is feared he attacked more than 200 during his time in Britain.

Such was the scale of Sinaga's offending that prosecutors split the charges across four separate trials, with the final one concluding in December.

At his sentencing hearing last week, Judge Goddard said: "Whole life sentences are extremely rare and I understand that a whole life order has never been made in a case other than one involving murder.

"Whilst these offences collectively and individually are of the utmost seriousness, and in my view did involve a risk to life...the features of torture and violence are absent, and do not involve death or lasting serious physical injury.

“The sole feature that would allow the court to contemplate the passing of a whole life order would be the vast scale of your offending which now involves 48 victims.

"This is in my view a borderline case, as described in the authorities, and as such I must therefore shrink back from passing a whole life order. In my judgment you are a highly dangerous, cunning and deceitful individual who will never be safe to be released, but that is a matter for the Parole Board.”

Sinaga was convicted of 159 sexual offences: 136 counts of rape, eight counts of attempted rape, 13 counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration.