Survivor who was drugged and sexually abused reports “worst experience”

A man who was drugged and sexually abused said it was the “worst experience I have ever survived or lived through” in an interview released after his attacker was convicted by a jury.

Luiz Da Silva Neto, 36, from Wandsworth, south London, denied possibly drugging two men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, with GHB or GBL and sexually abusing them in November and December 2021.

But on Thursday and Friday he was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court of one count of rape, two counts of intentionally administering a substance and two counts of inducing a person to engage in sexual acts without their consent.

In an interview with Sky News published after Da Silva Neto’s conviction, the first victim, a heterosexual man, recounted how the crimes had affected his life.

In relation to the first victim, Da Silva Neto was found guilty of intentionally administering a substance to him and inducing him to perform sexual acts without his consent.

This assault occurred on 9 and 10 November at a house in Middle Barton, Oxfordshire, after Victim 1 and Da Silva Neto had been drinking Jägermeister.

The first victim felt tired and went to sleep fully clothed before waking up naked and immobilised due to the effects of drugs during the sexual abuse, the court heard.

He says he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, needs counseling, has sleep and social problems, and sometimes loses his sight and hearing.

He said: “It is my duty to come forward because these types of people pose a danger to society.

“Basically he drugged me and used me. I don’t want to go into the details, I don’t want to remember it again, I don’t want to relive it.

“I feel more anxious, I go to a counselor and psychologist and it’s not easy.

“Sometimes I have panic attacks, I can’t socialize, I can’t trust people in a certain way, it’s just not the same and I’ve been diagnosed with PTSD.

“I feel like it’s eating me up inside…

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

“Sometimes I get really angry too because I just can’t. It’s not like I’m killing someone, it’s like they did it, they’re doing something to you and you have to live with it for the rest of your life.”

Describing the night he was sexually assaulted, he added: “It knocked me out, instantly, after about 10 minutes… I could barely stand on my feet.”

District Attorney Claire Beards of the State Attorney’s Office said: “Da Silva Neto opportunistically selected his victims, administered drugs to them and then sexually abused them when they were unable to consent.

“Thanks to the incredible courage of the victims who came forward with their statements and the evidence of the drug offense, we were able to build a strong case against him so that the jury could be convinced of his guilt.”

Da Silva Neto will be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on 7 July.