Drug rape tests could prove costly

By Naomi Larkin

Victims of drug rape unwilling to report their ordeal to police could face paying $1000 for tests to prove the assault.

The New Zealand Herald yesterday reported an alarming rise in drug rape involving drinks spikes with sedatives, tranquillisers and antihistamines. Traces of the drugs often remain in the bloodstream for more than 48 hours after the victim regains consciousness and can be detected in a blood or urine test.

The bill for the tests - conducted by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research - is picked up by police if the victim lays a formal complaint.

A spokeswoman for the Auckland Sexual Abuse Help, Kathryn McPhillips, said most victims were reluctant to report the incidents because they could remember only fragmentary details and felt a lot of shame.

Some chose to have their tests carried out by their GPs before deciding to report the rape, but this cost anything from $50 to $1000.

Detective Sergeant Murray Porter of the National Drug Intelligence Bureau said that because most victims could not remember being violated, they thought authorities would not believe them, but this was not so.

"It is imperative, however, that the victim takes steps to enter the complaint procedure as soon as possible so that evidence will not be lost."