Sexual predator found guilty of drugging and assaulting men in Oxfordshire

A man has been found guilty of drugging two men and sexually assaulting them at a house in Oxfordshire.

Luiz Inacio Da Silva Neto, 36, sexually abused his first victim in November 2021 when the man had visited him at a house in Middle Barton. After a few drinks, the victim recalled feeling extremely tired before falling asleep. He woke to find himself naked and Da Silva Neto sexually assaulting him.

A month later, a second man who had been out for the evening with work colleagues in London suffered memory loss. He remembered waking up naked in bed in a stranger’s house. It was the same house in Oxfordshire.

When interviewed, Da Silva Neto accepted that he had engaged in sexual activity with both men. However, he claimed it was fully consensual in both cases and denied drugging either of his victims.

The prosecution case was that Da Silva Neto had spiked the drinks of both his victims with an unknown stupefying drug (possibly GHB or GBL) and had then sexually assaulted them, knowing they were in no position to consent. The accounts given by the victims in court, alongside evidence of drugs and expert evidence about the effects of the drugs presented by the prosecution, secured guilty verdicts from the jury on five charges at Oxford Crown Court today.

District Crown Prosecutor Claire Beards from the Crown Prosecution Service 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.”