The family of Reynhard Sinaga, Britain's most prolific convicted rapist, has reportedly asked the Indonesian government to bring him home. I was surprised to read this, given that Sinaga is currently serving a minimum 40-year sentence for sexual offences against 48 men.
Indonesian media reports that Sinaga's parents have contacted the country's president in the hope of returning their son - who was recently attacked at a maximum security prison. The request is yet to be discussed by the country's officials.
So will Sinaga ever be deported? And in whose interests would it be?
He is currently in custody at HMP Wakefield without a visa following his 2020 conviction. But one senior criminal expert said despite Sinaga's lack of status, his victims would likely feel "more reassured" knowing he would serve his sentence here.
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The UK government says deportation proceedings can only begin at the end of a custodial prison sentence and the UK does not have a prisoner transfer agreement with Indonesia.
PhD student Sinaga, 42, raped more than 200 men in Manchester over the course of a decade. Posing as a kindly Good Samaritan, he would approach drunk, vulnerable, intoxicated young men on the street outside his home in Manchester city centre.
He would offer assistance such as a phone charger or shelter from the rain. But once his victims were inside his apartment, Sinaga would slip debilitating and potentially lethal doses of the drug GHB or GBL into their drinks until they were 'comatose'. He would then film the rapes and sexual assaults that followed.
Some of the victims - mostly heterosexual men - were students who had moved to Manchester and Salford to study. Several had travelled to the city from elsewhere to enjoy a night out with friends.
After examining hours of graphic evidence, detectives had to knock on doors of the men they believed to be victims. It panned out almost like an investigation in reverse with the crimes identified before the victims. Each man was devastated by the revelation and almost all remembered nothing of their attacks - or even realised they had been subjected to sexual assaults.
When Sinaga was unmasked as a rapist in 2020 - after four secret crown court trials - there was a flurry of media interest. But the pandemic followed just weeks later.
Duncan Craig - the inspirational CEO of male rape charity We Are Survivors - feels a deep sense of dissatisfaction about the way the case was received. "This was the biggest rape case in British legal history and there are people who don't know anything about it," he says.
Duncan was asked to meet with several national news outlets on Canal Street in the wake of Sinaga's sentencing - even though the rapist preyed on young men predominantly outside the now-closed Fifth nightclub and Factory. People dismissed it as "a gay thing", he says - a misunderstanding he feels speaks to societal norms around gender, homophobia and misogyny.
I was also surprised at the reaction. After watching the trials unfold as a reporter in court over 18-months, I hoped the case may help to break down the stigma surrounding male rape.
So it was with huge disappointment that in the hours after his sentencing I read numerous comments on the Manchester Evening News website speculating that he was 'The Pusher' - a supposed serial killer who has shoved dozens to watery graves around our city. It's a myth that does a disservice to both the poor souls who have died in Greater Manchester's canals and rivers and those attacked by Sinaga.
Why were people so intent on regurgitating a conspiracy theory rather than facing the far darker truth - that a rapist stalked our city for a decade attacking men without consequence?
Duncan believes there is still much work to be done on breaking down the stigma of male rape.
Sinaga has been referred to as a 'one off' - but it's thought one in every 10 rapes or attempted rapes each year in the UK are against males. Male rape is certainly not a singular event. It's a truth we all need to face.
You can read the full interview with Duncan Craig here and my analysis of the case here.
Andy Burnham has said he believes people 'underestimate' what a 'wrench' it would be for him to leave his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester as he responded to again being touted as a potential leader of his party.
However he said that 'if the call came' to return to government: "I'm not going to just turn away from it". Mr Burnham was quizzed about being included on a survey canvassing opinion on potential replacements for Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Burnham told ITV News it was "nothing to do with me". "Westminster does what it does and I get, often, drawn in without being involved in it all."
Chris Slater has the details here.
The city centre is looking extremely Christmassy, but some decorations traders weren't counting on is a block of scaffolding outside the Royal Exchange.
Owners say 'significant' external repairs are needed urgently and are likely to take eight weeks. But neighbouring businesses fear they will now struggle to survive until the end of the year.
Adam Maidment has the story.
NHS staff at some Greater Manchester hospitals have been told to wear face masks to help stop the spread of viruses. Health bosses have asked local NHS providers to review their infection-prevention measures to help protect staff and patients during a busy period.
It comes as flu levels continue to rise and remain higher in the North West than the national average, putting pressure on hospitals across Greater Manchester.
Joseph Timan has the details.
Manchester has 57 'high consequence' flood defences 'below required condition' months on from New Year's devastation, a new investigation has revealed.
Some 17 per cent of the city's 'high consequence' defences -- those protecting multiple homes or businesses -- are not up-to-standard. That's despite repeated pleas to the Environment Agency to act swiftly to avoid a repeat of the New Year's Day floods.
Roads: A5067 Chester Road westbound closed due to roadworks from A5014 Talbot Road to Brindley Road between 9.30am and 3.30pm Mondays to Sundays until December 12.
A56 Deansgate northbound closed due to new road layout from St Marys Gate to A6 Victoria Bridge Street, until November 14, 2026.
A6 Chapel St westbound, Salford, closed for long-term roadworks between Blackfriars Rd and New Bailey St until January 19.
Manc trivia: In which local borough was the famous Co-Operative movement founded in 1844?
Plans: Self-driving vehicles could be introduced to Greater Manchester under bold plans backed by Andy Burnham's office. Read it here.