Drug rape warning

Drug-facilitated sexual assault is a serious issue. This crime has received a great deal of attention over the years.

Although we often hear stories of people who claim that they had their drink spiked and nothing else untoward happened, in the gay community we also hear of cases where sexual assaults and/or robberies have occurred.

Recently I have heard of two cases where young men were assaulted after having their drink spiked.

It is important to examine these stories in some detail because in both cases they do not match how the media usually reports drink spiking.

Whereas people usually report having their drink spiked in a nightclub or bar, both of these young men were spiked in a home. One of them had picked up someone at a club and taken him back to his own home, whilst the other went home with someone he had met at a party.

This challenges the media stereotype of a stranger slipping something into someone’s drink in a crowded bar. Both of these young men know the name of the perpetrator of the crime and one of them even knows where he lives.

Both men are unlikely to report the assault. They have little recollection of events and are worried that because they were both intoxicated (one was fairly drunk and the other drug-affected), the police will not take their claims seriously.

This raises another issue around drink spiking -“ the evidence that we currently have suggests that those who are already intoxicated are far more likely to be targeted. No drink spiker is likely to target a sober person.

The myth that it is only strangers who carry out this crime is potentially dangerous as it leads some people to take unnecessary risks.

People you know, or have recently met, are just as likely to spike your drink as complete strangers, particularly if they are able to get you into a situation when you are on your own.

Think about it -“ it makes much more sense to drug someone in a home, far away from crowds, than in a crowded bar.

Removing a drug-affected person away from the venue without anyone noticing could prove very difficult. It is also important to remember that, if you are intoxicated, you become a much easier target.

Remember: if you do not want any negative consequences, do not use the drug and, no matter how many times you have used a substance, never be blas?/p>