Date-Rape Drugs ‘Not Widespread’

Research suggests date-rape drugs may not be as prevalent as first thought. A study commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), suggests many victims of sexual assault may have just been extremely drunk.

The study found no link to date-rape drug Rohypnol in 120 cases examined from November 2004 to October 2005.

It found evidence of GHB – another date-rape drug – in only two cases. The government said “rape is never the victim’s fault”.

A Home Office spokeswoman said the research added to the government’s “understanding of the role of drugs and alcohol in rape”.

“The government is working to put rape victims’ needs first and to make it easier to bring rapists to justice.

“Rape is an appalling crime, which is never the victim’s fault,” she said.

She added that nearly £6.7m had been invested over the past three years in services for victims of sexual violence.

The study – thought to be the first of its size into drug rape – involved Metropolitan, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Northumbria and Lancashire police forces as well as the Walsall area of the West Midlands Police.

The findings also revealed 119 of the 120 alleged victims admitted they had been drinking alcohol and forensic tests discovered evidence of alcohol in 52% of cases.

“In most cases, the alleged victims had consumed alcohol voluntarily and, in some cases, to dangerous levels,” an Acpo spokesman said.

“The report does not seek to deny or neutralise the incidence of drug-facilitated sexual assault but merely view the topic in the context of alcohol and other related issues.”

The organisation’s analysis also discovered 22 alleged victims were two to three times above the legal drink-drive alcohol limit.

Of the 120 people examined, 57 had traces of controlled or prescribed drugs in their systems, including cannabis in 20% of cases, cocaine in 17% and amphetamines (including Ecstasy) in 9%, said Acpo.

In a total of 41 cases, one alleged victim had taken alcohol and illegal drugs, eight had taken alcohol and prescribed drugs and seven had consumed all three.

The report also concluded only “limited traces” of GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyrate were involved in the cases.

Overall, 10 of the cases were classed as suspected drug-assisted assaults involving a sedative or another drug.