‘Dangerous predator’ guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting two men in Oxfordshire cottage

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A man has been found guilty of spiking two men with drugs and then sexually assaulting them at a house in Oxfordshire.

Luiz Inacio Da Silva Neto, 36, drugged his victims with an unknown stupefying drug – possibly GHB or GBL – and then attacked them at a cottage in Middle Barton, Oxfordshire, in November and December last year.

Oxford Crown Court heard that Da Silva Neto had “opportunistically targeted” his victims, before drugging them and then sexually assaulting them “when they were in no position to consent”.

A jury found him guilty of rape, two counts of administering a substance with intent and two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. He will be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on 7 July.

The 36-year-old’s first victim had shots of Jagermeister before he began to feel tired and went to sleep fully clothed before waking up naked.

When leaving the cottage, the victim noticed what he described as a syringe on the side of the kitchen and “became convinced he had been drugged”.

Speaking after the verdict the man said he has since been diagnosed with PTSD, needs counselling, struggles to sleep and socialise, and sometimes loses his vision and hearing.

He told Sky News:“This is my duty to come forward because these type of people are dangerous to society.

“Basically, he drugged me and he used me, I don’t want to go into details, I don’t want to memorise it again, I don’t want to relive it. I feel more anxious, I see a counsellor and psychologist and it’s not easy.

“Sometimes I have panic attacks, I can’t socialise, I can’t, I just, just trusting people from a certain way is just not the same and I was diagnosed with PTSD. I feel like it is eating me up inside.

“For me, this is the worst experience I have ever survived or lived through.”

The second victim had been on a night out with work colleagues in central London hotspot Raffles when he met Da Silva Neto.

He told the court he had vague memories of events that night and they included feeling “strange” when he spoke to the doorman at the club, having a cup with a “dark brown liquid” being held to his lips at some point and waking naked in a strange room at 10am the next day.

The man returned to London “confused, distressed and upset” and found that he had been reported missing.

District Crown Prosecutor Claire Beards said: “Luiz Inacio Da Silva Neto opportunistically targeted his victims, drugging and then sexually assaulting them when they were in no position to consent.

“He denied any wrongdoing and claimed his actions were all done consensually. However, thanks to the incredible bravery of the victims in coming forward with their accounts, and supporting drug evidence, we were able to build a strong case against him so that the jury could be sure he was guilty.

“I hope today’s verdict brings both those men a sense of justice.”

Thames Valley Police said he had previously pleaded guilty to seven counts of drug possession at an earlier hearing for substances including MDMA, methylamphetamine, cocaine, ketamine and cannabis.

Detective Inspector James Holden-White described Da Silva Neto as “a sexual predator and a very dangerous man”.

He said: “Society is certainly a much safer place with Da Silva Neto behind bars. We are keeping an open mind as to the possibility that Da Silva Neto has committed other offences.”

Additional reporting by PA