Galway’s top cop has never come across a case of date-rape drug

Garda Chief Superintendent, Tom Curley ruled out completely any suggestions that a drink was ‘spiked’ in a city centre pub earlier this year.

“In my 34 years in the job, I have never come across a case of Rohypnol use, or any other drug put into drinks,” said Chief Supt Curley.

He said “we do hear about it” but he hasn’t come across any instances, or evidence of it having happened.

Rohypnol is a ‘date-rape’ sedative, and is used to aid sexual assault.  It can be ‘slipped into’ drinks and the victims are unable to clearly recall the assault.

Chief Supt Curley said he hasn’t seen evidence of any such instances in Galway.

He was responding to Galway City Councillor Niall McNelis (Labour), who raised the issue of date-rape drugs and spiking of drinks, during the latest Galway City Joint Policing Committee meeting.

Cllr McNelis demanded clarity from Gardaí on whether a ‘spiking’ incident had occurred in the city earlier this year.

Cllr McNelis referred to a recent front page story in a local freesheet, which claimed someone’s drink had been spiked in a city centre pub.

He said the following week in the same free newspaper, “there was a front-page retraction of the story”.

Cllr McNelis said: “What is the situation? Have there been incidents of drinks being spiked. I’d hate to think that there was . . . the front-page story said there was but it was retracted the following week. Is there a problem with spiking and how serious a problem is it?”

Chief Supt Curley said he was “not referring to any particular case” but “unfortunately” people indulge in too much alcohol and recreational drugs.

“That can happen,” he said.

He said there have been no reports of spiking and he has never come across an incident in all his career.

Pushed again by Cllr McNelis to issue safety advice to the public about drinks being spiked, Chief Supt Curley said as far as he was concerned it “wasn’t an issue”.