Nigel Wilkinson: Drug rape photographer guilty of more attacks

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-46607967

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An amateur photographer who lured six men into his home promising photo shoots has been found guilty of rape, voyeurism and drugging his victims.

Nigel Wilkinson, from Bristol, was convicted of nine offences during a trial at the city's crown court.

He was found guilty of drugging five of the men, voyeurism against three of them and the rape of one.

In 2016, Wilkinson was handed an 11-year jail sentence for similar offences.

He has now been convicted of assaulting nine men between 2014 and 2016.

On Tuesday, Judge James Patrick told him "you must expect a long additional sentence".

The judge said jurors had learned of "a slice of life you must have wished to never have seen".

Det Insp Larisa Hunt, who led the latest Avon and Somerset Police investigation, said: "These new convictions have further exposed the true extent and nature of Wilkinson's offending, which has undoubtedly caused severe and lasting damage to his victims.

"He used his pseudo business, Wilko Photography, to attract men interested in fitness modelling, sometimes posing as a fictitious person called Simon, as part of his efforts to make his operation seem more credible and trustworthy."

Det Insp Hunt said Wilkinson would contact men through social media, offer them a fee and expenses and then encourage them to stay over at his house in Hill Avenue, Windmill Hill.

"He would then ply them with drinks laced with sedatives," she said.

"We've been able to prove with some of the victims that this was a precursor offence to allow him to rape or sexually assault them and in many cases he'd take photos of them within the photo shoot which they did not consent to."

Fresh charges were made after the first trial in 2016 when two men came forward, worried that they too had been assaulted by him.

Wilkinson is due to be sentenced on Wednesday.