Drug rape test 'buys you false confidence'

By Nadeeja Koralage and Chibuzo Odigwe London

A drink testing device to be on sale "in every place where condoms are sold" has been criticised by experts for promoting a false sense of security. The matchbox sized Drink Detective, priced at £3.95 ($7.10; €5.90), detects ketamine; benzodiazepines, such as flunitrazepam (Rohypnol); and * hydroxy-butyrate (GHB), which marketers Bloomsbury Innovations, say are associated with drug rape.

The user puts a droplet of the suspect drink on to each of three sensitive patches, before waiting about 20 seconds for a result. The test works on most drinks, but not those containing orange juice, tomato juice, or milk, where it may give a false positive reading.

But Ian Hindmarch, professor of psychopharmacology at Surrey University, said he thought the product should be "taken off the market."

"There are 40 or 50 drugs associated with assault, most of which you can buy over the counter. The thing that astounds me is that the Drink Detective is marketed as a deterrent. Buying it buys you a false confidence. The fact that you've got something that only looks at a few drugs is not going to deter a rapist. It's worthless," he said.

ANDREW PARSONS/PA

Who is pouring your drinks?

Hindmarch added, "The drinks industry is happy that everyone is concentrating on drugs that are added to alcoholic drinks, instead of the level of alcohol itself. I do believe that a lot of people are assaulted under the influence of drugs--mainly alcohol."

Rape Crisis Scotland has accused the products makers, Bloomsbury Innovations, of making money out of people's fear and questioned the practicality of using the device.

Sandy Brindley, National Developer of Rape Crisis Scotland, said, "One of our main concerns is the practicality of the kit. If women do feel at risk of having their drink spiked, with or without using the test, they should get themselves somewhere they feel safe."

Bloombury Innovations director, Stanley Grossman, said, "Drug rape is currently a risk free crime, as victims often have no memory of what has happened. By the time they get to the police, the drugs have often left their system.

"Most drinkers know what their alcohol tolerance is like. If you have had just a couple of drinks and start to feel unusually drunk, the Drink Detective lets you test your drink and seek protection."

Graham Rhodes, a spokesman for the Roofie Foundation, the UK's only organisation dealing specifically with drug rape, said, "I think Rape Crisis Scotland should be taking this product more seriously. For a start, 15% of all sexual assaults are against men. We've helped with 6000 people who have dealt with drug rape and the Drink Detective would have helped them."

Bloomsbury Innovations has donated money to help run the Roofie Foundation's phone lines. But Mr Rhodes said, "We are championing the product but have nothing else to do with it."

Consolata, a genocide survivor, was raped several times in 1994. She found out two years later she had been infected with HIV