sign in sign up
<<
Home , Chloral hydrate, Flunitrazepam

Slipping a Mickey? Facts around drugs, and

DR CATHY STEPHENSON OCTOBER 2011 Slipping a Mickey?

 Phrase coined in late 19th century  Chicago barman Mickey Finn used “knock-out” drops to incapacitate and rob his patrons  Probably used  Centuries old practise – other drugs in historical literature include alcohol, and  Recently much media coverage of “date rape” drugs and “drink-spiking” Case 1

 18 yo girl, seen 7 hours post sexual assault  Party, 5 RTDs in 2.5 hours – left one open on the table  Shortly after felt “strange”  Taken home by friend’s father  In car, forced oral and vaginal penetration  found on hair samples, but not urine Case 2

 16 year old girl  Seen 6 months after SA  Risk-taking behaviour prompted disclosure  ETOH + marijuana +  Much more common scenario Case 3

 23 year old girl  Seen 20 hours after sexual assault  In town with friends  Drinking  Offered a ride home  Raped in car outside her flat DFSA?

 Victims subjected to non-consensual sexual activity while they are incapacitated or unconscious through the effect of alcohol or drugs (1)  Thereby prevented from resisting and unable to give consent  Ingestion can be voluntary, involuntary or both  DFSA may be “proactive” or “opportunistic”(2)

So how often does it really happen?

 No reliable data in literature  Reporting of SA in general very low  21% of females and almost 5% of males in Australia report a lifetime history of sexual coercion(3)  Analysis of 1200 urine samples from sexual assault cases in the USA revealed 60% positive for one or more drugs including alcohol (4)

What drugs are found in DFSA?

 Alcohol – vast majority of cases (5,6,7,8)   Prescription medicines   Antidepressant   Opiate  Antiepileptics  Recreational drugs – including amphetamine, ecstasy, , , heroin,  OTC drugs  Gammahydroxybutyrate (GHB) and found in <3% of positive samples (8)

Alcohol

 Alcohol affects sexual behaviour  Significant number had consumed >20 standard drinks (5)  Causes disorientation, , poor judgement, inability to consent, loss of consciousness, CNS depression  All effects exacerbated if combined with other CNS – unpredictable results

Issues specific to DFSA

 Complainant often intoxicated  Incomplete recall and history  Court appearance unlikely due to evidential “gaps”  Blame vs responsibility  Delay in reporting  Delay in treatment and obtaining forensic evidence  Poorer outcomes How should we test for drugs/alcohol?

 Urine samples  Collect as early as possible  Refrigerate  They may be of use up to 4 days post-assault  (especially if < 24 hrs)  Hair and nail samples from 2-4 weeks

Conclusions?

 The “Mickey Finn” of the media is probably uncommon  Drugs taken involuntarily are rarely detected  Alcohol is the single drug consistently associated with sexual assaults  Consumed alone or in unpredictable combinations with other drugs  Adverse outcomes for these victims

Headline News?

“Drink-spiker rapist on the rampage in Courtney Place”

Or

“Alcohol the biggest factor associated with sexual assault in young people”

References

1. LeBeau M, Moyazani A. Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault. A Forensic Handbook. London: Academic Press; 2001. 2. Operation Matisse. Investigating Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault. Association of Chief Police Officers. 3. De Visser R, Smith A et al. Sex in Australia: experiences of sexual coercion among a representative sample of adults. Aust NZ J Public Health 2003; 27:198-223. 4. Negrusz A, Gaensslen RE. Drug-facilitated Sexual Assault. Sexual Offences, Adult/Drug- Facilitated Sexual Assault 2005; 107-111. 5. Hurley M, Parker H, Wells D. The epidemiology of drug facilitated sexual assault. Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine 2006; 13:181-185. 6. MacDonald J, Shand C et al. Prevalence of injury after recent rape in New Zealand. Ven Troppo, Conference of the Australasian College of Sexual Health Physicians, Darwin 2000. 7. Hindmarch I, ElSohly M et al. Forensic urinalysis of drug use in cases of alleged sexual assault. Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine 2001; 8:197-205. 8. Slaughter L. Involvement of drugs in sexual assault. J Reprod Med 2000; 45:425-430. 9. Hall J, Moore C. Drug facilitated sexual assault – A review. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine 2008; 15:291-297.