Men drugging, raping wives & girlfriends on camera is "next level" criminality: Police
Men drugging their wives and girlfriends to rape them and then filming the abuse to share in chat groups, with tips on how to achieve this, takes sexual assault and related crimes to the “next level,” said Gerben Cabboort of the Dutch police’s national expert team on sexual offenses in an interview with NOS. Of the four men arrested last week in the investigation announced on Thursday, only one was ordered by a magistrate to remain in custody ahead of an arraignment expected later this month.
The police identified eight men suspected of drugging their partners to rape them and then sharing the footage, with four jailed during the early phase of the investigation. A 49-year-old man from Horst aan de Maas was still in custody on Thursday afternoon, though all eight remain suspects in the criminal case. They are between the ages of 21 and 51 and from all over the Netherlands.
Iva Bicanic of the Center for Sexual Violence (CSG) called it a new low for our society. What surprised Bicanic most about the massive sexual abuse case the Dutch police revealed on Thursday was that she wasn’t surprised at all. “I have learned from my expertise that anything is possible with sexual violence. Anything you cannot imagine can still happen.”
The police are still investigating how many victims there are and whether they are actually the partners of the suspects. Investigation must also show whether all the men made the rape footage themselves, or only pretended that it was theirs in the chats.
What was immediately clear was that the victims needed support immediately, Cabboort said. They had the police show up at their doorstep unexpectedly, telling them that their husband or boyfriend had been drugging and raping them. The police, therefore, had Victim Support and the CSG standing ready from the start.
It can already be very traumatic when your partner is arrested, Bicanic told NOS. But then to find out that they have victimised you in this way is completely devastating. “It happened in a place that should be safe: in their own bed, with their own partner, Bicanic said. “That is a huge shock. And then there is also video footage. They do not know how much was filmed and how widely it has been distributed. Moreover, due to the sedatives, they may also be worried about health damage.”
These women are going to need the support of their family and friends. “In the very first phase, there is disbelief and denial. After that, it starts to sink in, and words come. People can become irritable, emotionally flat, or conversely, easily emotional,” Bicanic said. Those are all very normal reactions to an abnormal event. This acute stress reaction should subside over time. “It may sound strange, but people can show enormous resilience.”
Bicanic stressed that this is in no way the woman’s fault. Processing sexual trauma is hampered if victims blame themselves. “But in this situation, where someone was completely unconscious and completely unaware of it, you obviously cannot blame yourself.”
Cabboort said that the police are looking for more victims. He doesn’t want to give women more things to be wary of and scared of, but he did give two important warning signs that this type of abuse may be occurring. The first is waking up with a massive hangover when you didn’t consume alcohol or drugs. Red and sensitive genitals with no obvious explanation are also a red flag.
Cabboort urged women who think that they may be dealing with this to come forward. It doesn’t have to be with the police. Going to a Center for Sexual Violence or Victim Support is also an option.
