Luiz Da Silva Neto jailed for 22 years for drugging and sexually assaulting two men

A man found guilty of sex attacks on two men spiked with a suspected date-rape drug has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Luiz Da Silva Neto left one of his victims feeling "paralysed" after he woke with the defendant performing oral sex on him with pornography playing in the background, a court heard.

The man noticed what he described as a syringe in the kitchen and became convinced he had been drugged.

Another victim was a married man who had been on a night out with colleagues at swanky London nightclub Raffles.

The attacker encountered the man outside as he tried to get a taxi.

Da Silva Neto drove him to a cottage in Oxfordshire, where he was raped. All the man could remember afterwards was being forced to consume a short drink.

The 36-year-old claimed all sexual interactions between him and the two men had been consensual.

He was convicted last week of:

• One count of rape
• Two counts of administering a substance with intent
• Two counts of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent

Investigating officer Detective Inspector James Holden-White called Da Silva Neto "a sexual predator and a very dangerous man".

"[He] deliberately targeted heterosexual men whom he believed would be especially unlikely to report the offences to police, but he was wrong," he said.

The attacks happened in November and December last year at a cottage in Middle Barton, Oxfordshire; a property that Da Silva Neto's partner reportedly rented to paying guests.

A police search of the property found bottles which contained traces of GBL, often used as a date-rape drug.

The trial heard that on the day of the rape, 10 December 2021, Da Silva Neto had spent part of the evening approaching men in public toilets.

The rapist also pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court to seven drugs charges, including possession of MDMA, cocaine, methamphetamine, and ketamine.

Police say they have an open mind about the possibility of other attacks by the same man - and that the identity of any further victims will be protected.

Anyone with information is asked to either email OperationJion@thamesvalley.police.uk; call 101 quoting reference Operation Jion; or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via its website.

The Survivors Trust can also be contacted on 08088 010818 or online.