Spiking.

Apologies, I might have misunderstood your previous post and thought you had been present. Why assume immediately that I meant to set you up?

It is heartwarming how you feel for drugged and raped friend in the US. I am not sure why you bring it up if you cannot elaborate or discuss it.

Not gonna happen, so try your luck elsewhere. Plenty of folk on this site to follow on anecdotes so you should be fine.

Article is from 2014 so 7 years old, and of the 10% that took a week to be reported the majority werenot for the type of crime in question here. The Gardai have stated that no reports were made. You simply don't want to accept this as it doesn't align with your view that these spiking instances are as prevalent as is currently being made out.

You've not had much dealing with the police in London. I had a much more serious offence happen to me and my friends and nothing came of that. They didn't follow it up, despite chasing it.

In this case I had no proof, couldn't say exactly when it happened and no serious crime was committed. It would be filed away and forgotten about.

But thank you for your judgement.

What judgement?

It's better to have a case on file then no case at all. And a spiking is a fairly serious crime.

"had no proof, couldn't say exactly when it happened and no serious crime was committed."

There's your problem, right there. Doubt any police force in the world would launch an investigation with just that to go on.

All of that is irrelevant. The simple fact is there were no reports over the last weekend. You are making huge leaps of faith. Ignoring 999 calls and breathalyser abnormalities have nothing to do with this. You are simply attempting to undermine the Gardai in their entirety in order to suggest that there was indeed a reported spiking last weekend, a crime that is rare to begin with. You started initially by trying to undermine the source provided (Gript), and are now attempting the same with the Gardai themselves. I don't know the answer to your 2nd question. But then again, I'm not a Garda, the kind of people who would know. Good to know you won't be attacking women, though I don't know why you felt the need to tell me, I had presumed it already. We are on the same page with that at least.

Good point Andrew and TBH, this is a point that needs reiterating. The source of a report, the bias implied and even more importantly the inclusion of the report/quote/info that an outlet bases it's reporting on are vital to it's credibility.

On that basis, gript should be very far down anyone's list of reliable sources.

Gript could have very easily appended the reply received from the Gardaí to the query. It would be a straightforward 1st hand source, that readers could interprets they wish.

Instead gript throw in a few selected sentences from the answer they received, interspersed with reportage. That reportage could include speculation and quotes from named sources, whinge about Regina Doherty.

The story should include the entire statement as received from the Gardaí. Gript can still apply any reportage style they like, but laying out the statement they rely on as the basis of their story?

Would make fact checking and searching for corroboration far simpler.

Gript does not present news, it spins news into rightwing views.

Is there a link to the Garda press office statement? Gript haven't included it, rather they have editorialised and presented snippets.

The source of any news should always at least be considered. That's not a sleight against you btw. Rather a nod to balance and sourcing.

Wind your neck in. There's no victim blaming going on, but your race to assume that mantle says quite a bit.

You made a claim regarding being spiked. I take that at your word. I'm not asking you to back it up nor even attempting to refute it.

What I am saying is that your assertion you didn't report it because no serious crime had been commited is wrong. Demonstrably so, and I provided a range of offences of up to 10yrs tariff that such an attack could attract.

Your claim that because you made it home, that no serious crime occured is wrong.

Your response to any attack, spiking or unwelcome attention is entirely your own.

But? Claiming victimhood, sharing a story that thankfully ended without any further infringement on your person, as evidence of widespread spiking? When unfortunately other than your recollection? No matter how well founded. Is not evidence of drug based spiking.

Without reporting same or even the suspicion of it and post exposure medical attention. Claims of drug based assault being widespread and pervasive? Are all too easily dismissed by the wealth of contrary academic and medical reports claiming that assaults of the type are vanishingly rare.

If the stories of widespread spiking are ever to be appropriately actioned? Timely reporting is a must. Indeed it's the advice offered by the Gardaí in the article Faugheen has posted above.

If the prevalence of this type of offending or the existence of needle based spiking are to be treated as anything more than moral panic? They need be reported, investigated and pursued to conviction.

Otherwise? Stories of random spiking and the potential of every drink being a gateway to assault or worse will carry on being a modern day boogey man.

Without reporting? Without the weight of proof? As harsh and as difficult it may be to hear? Carrying on with an attitude of #ibelieveher or #metoo won't do anything to address any actual issue other than grow a self reinforcing notion of belief in attacks, rather than evidence of them.