Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Jail for Drugging, Raping 2 Men

A man in the U.K. has been sentenced to 22 years in jail for drugging and sexually assaulting at least two men late last year.

The Thames Valley Police announced yesterday the sentencing of Luiz Inacio Da Silva Neto, 36, who was found guilty of rape, two counts of administering a drug with the intent to allow sex, and two counts of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. At an earlier hearing, Da Silva Neto pled guilty to seven drug charges including three more serious Class A violations for the drugs MDMA, methylamphetamine, and cocaine.

On Tuesday at Oxford Crown Court, he was sentenced to 22 years in jail for the offenses.

The investigating officer, Detective Inspector James Holden-White, said Da Silva Neto deliberately targeted straight men, believing they would be less likely to report the assaults.

"Da Silva Neto used what presents as a well-practiced modus operandi: targeting men, administering a substance to incapacitate and overpower his chosen victim, and then engaging in sexual activity with them, knowing they are not in a position to consent," Holden-White said in a statement announcing the sentencing. "Da Silva Neto deliberately targeted heterosexual men whom he believed would be especially unlikely to report the offenses to police, but he was wrong. The two victims have shown immense bravery throughout, and it is because of them that Da Silva Neto has been convicted and jailed."

Da Silva Neto assaulted his first victim last November. The two men were sharing drinks at a property in Middle Barton when the victim "felt tired and lost consciousness," waking later to find himself paralyzed with Da Silva Neto performing oral sex on him.

The second known victim was assaulted one month later on December 10. The victim was looking for a cab following a night of drinking at a local bar when he met Da Silva Neto who was driving a vehicle in the area. The victim remembered no further details of the evening "other than being forced to consume a short drink."

The victim awoke the next day in the same Middle Barton property as the first victim, discovering he had been drugged and raped by Da Silva Neto while unconscious.

Prosecutors also presented evidence during the trial that showed Da Silva Neto had been attempting to "engage" with men he had approached in local public toilets just prior to meeting and assaulting the second victim.

Holden-White said the two victims showed "immense bravery" in coming forward and credited them with Da Silva Neto's conviction.

"I am pleased that Luiz Inacio Da Silva Neto has been jailed for 22 years for his heinous crimes," Holden-White said. "Da Silva Neto is a sexual predator and a very dangerous man, as such the streets are a much safer place with him behind bars."

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