Do not drink alone, women are told
Women were advised by a Government watchdog yesterday to avoid going
to clubs or parties alone because of the growing risk that their drinks
will be "spiked". A report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of
Drugs (ACMD) warned women never to accept a drink from a stranger.
'Don't leave your drink, even when going to the lavatory,'' it added.
"Take it with you." Its advice followed a review of the threat of
sexual assaults linked to drinks which are either spiked with alcohol or
drugs.
A medical study last month had suggested that many alleged victims of
date rape had been rendered helpless by binge-drinking. It found no
evidence that Rohypnol and GHB - drugs said to be favoured by predatory
rapists - were widely used.
But the ACMD, the Government's principal advisory drugs body, said
that sexual assault using spiked drinks was a "significant problem'' and
that current laws failed to give protection against rapists who prey on
victims who have become unconscious or semi-conscious through drink
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The council called for rape laws, which were updated just four years
ago, to be strengthened to combat "opportunistic" rapists who prey on
drunken women. The 2003 Sexual Offences Act made it an offence to
administer any drug with the intent to commit a sexual offence. Only
last week, senior judges said the existing law was adequate to deal with
allegations of rape in the context of drink.
Sir Igor Judge, the head of criminal justice, said that an alleged
victim who had drunk "even substantial quantities" could still consent
to sex. He considered that the 2003 legislation provided a clear
definition of "consent" for the purposes of the law.
But the ACMD report said: "Although this provision covers pro-active
drug-facilitated sexual assault, it fails to provide protection against
opportunistic drug-facilitated sexual assault.
The council is uncertain as to whether the law could be strengthened
in this respect, but recommends that the Home Secretary seeks advice
from the Government's law officers."
The Home Office said: "It is important to stress that sexual assault
is wholly the fault of the perpetrator, and never the responsibility of
the victim, irrespective of how much he or she has had to drink.
It is, however, important that potential victims are aware of the
risks." He added: "The law already requires that in order to consent to
sex, a person must have the capacity to consent. If someone is so
intoxicated that they are nearly unconscious, it is unlikely that they
would have such a capacity."
The council is preparing detailed reports on two chemicals legally
available as cleaning fluids and industrial solvents which can be used
as "date rape" drugs. Gamma butyrolactone and 1.4-butanediol are similar
to GHB, which has been implicated in sexual assault in Britain and the
US.
The council is considering whether the two substances should be added
to the list of controlled drugs.
The council said police chiefs should improve forensic testing for
date rape drugs and also proposed that drug-facilitated sexual assault
should be part of the British Crime Survey.
Telegraph
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