Two of Britain’s most notorious rapists, Joseph McCann and Reynhard Sinaga, have had their have had their minimum jail terms increased from 30 to 40 years by the court of appeal. The panel of five judges, however, refused to impose whole life terms on Sinaga, 37, and McCann, 35, as sought by the solicitor general, Michael Ellis QC, at a hearing in October. Both men were originally given minimum terms of 30 years, but lawyers at the court of appeal had pushed for whole life sentences, arguing that both men had caused an “ocean of harm”. Sinaga, a postgraduate student from Indonesia, was convicted in four trials of drugging and raping 48 young men he had lured to his Manchester flat under the guise of being a “good Samaritan”. Afterwards, Greater Manchester police said they had evidence he had assaulted at least 195 men, making him Britain’s worst rapist. He had filmed the attacks, taken photos of his victims lying comatose, and kept “souvenirs”, such as wallets, watches and mobile phones. In December last year, McCann, from London, was convicted of all 37 counts relating to a fortnight-long rampage in 2019 that stretched from London to Cheshire. He raped eight victims, including a 71-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy. The boy and his teenage sister were attacked in front of each other in their own home. Giving the court’s ruling on Friday, the lord chief justice Lord Burnett said: “The offending in the cases of McCann and Sinaga, very serious indeed though it is, does not, in our judgment, call for either to receive a whole life tariff. “This is not to minimise the seriousness of their offending but instead to ensure that the most severe sentence in our jurisdiction is reserved, save exceptionally, either for the most serious cases involving loss of life, or when a substantive plan to murder of similar seriousness is interrupted close to fulfilment.” The judge said the men’s minimum terms would be increased to reflect the serious nature of their crimes. Burnett said that, in the collective experience of the senior judges who heard the case, McCann and Sinaga’s crimes were some of the most serious offences of rape to have been tried within England and Wales. “Neither man has shown any remorse and the long-term psychological damage for at least some of the victims in both trials is profound and will only be understood in the years to come,” he said. The release of both men would depend on Parole Board assessments of the risk they posed after they had served their minimum jail terms, he said. The Greater Manchester police (GMP) assistant chief constable, Mabs Hussain, said the force welcomed the ruling: “From speaking to many of his victims, we know that many will be comforted by this outcome and feel that the extension reflects the heinous nature of the crimes committed. “At the very heart of this case has always been the victims and supporting them through their horrific ordeal. The bravery that these men continue to show has been nothing short of incredible and we, alongside partners such as St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre and Survivors Manchester, will continue to offer as much support as possible to the victims and help them in every way we can.” GMP said they now believed Sinaga had sexually assaulted at least 206 men. When he was convicted in January, GMP said they believed there were 195 separate victims, of whom 70 had not been identified. After his conviction, GMP received 154 new reports relating to Sinaga, among which were 23 victims. Twelve of those were among the 70 that police could previously not identify from the films and photos, and 11 were hitherto unknown. Hussain said: “Like many other victims, the majority of these men had been enjoying nights out in Manchester city centre before being preyed on by Sinaga as they made their way home. We are continuing to offer these men our full support and help them in any way we can.” The force said it still had around 60 victims unaccounted for and urged anyone with information to contact the police or specialist support services.