A photographer who drugged and raped men after using Instagram to lure them to modelling shoots has been jailed for more than 11 years.
Nigel Wilkinson, 43, met his victims on the photo-sharing app before inviting them to his house in Bristol for photoshoots in his mock studio. But once the men were in his home, he would ply them with alcohol and drugs, including Rohypnol, and then attack them.
Wilkinson pleaded guilty at Bristol crown court to two counts of rape and three counts of administering a substance with intent to rape. He was jailed for 11 and a half years. He also admitted possession of the class C drugs Flunitrazepam, also known as Rohypnol, and Nitrazepam.
The court heard that Wilkinson promoted himself as a male fitness photographer and set up a website called WilkoPhotography last summer. He would search for potential victims on Instagram and invite them to his house so he could help them put together a modelling portfolio. But during the photoshoots, he would render his victims “senseless and incapable” by giving them drinks, some of which were laced with sedatives.
The court was told that he “liked to take the masculinity of straight men” and that his three victims had been left devastated by his crimes. The men often stayed at his home, where he committed sexual acts when his victims were in a drugged state.
DC Stacey Matthews said: “On the surface, Nigel Wilkinson was a photographer with an interest in male fitness models. In private, he was a cunning sexual offender who used his photography enterprise as a cover and catalyst for his deviant activities.”
The force began investigating Wilkinson in February when Kent police were called by the girlfriend of a 19-year-old man. She had received a text message from her boyfriend stating that he believed he had been drugged. Officers went to Wilkinson’s home and found the man inside. He was taken to hospital and tests found traces of a sedative in his system.
He attended a sexual assault referral centre for further tests and officers went to Wilkinson’s home to arrest him in April. When they arrived, they discovered a 23-year-old man asleep on the sofa. He was also taken to hospital. There was evidence that the man, who attended the Bridge sexual assault centre in Bristol, had been drugged and raped. During the investigation, officers identified a third victim, a 19-year-old from Wiltshire, who was also found to have traces of sedatives in his system. None of the victims had any memory of the acts committed on them.
During searches of the house, police found photographs of a variety of males, some of whom were naked, on Wilkinson’s computer, as well as empty drug packets.
Sentencing, Judge Michael Longman told him: “You wanted to have sex with as many attractive men as possible. All the victims were much younger than you and entrusted themselves to you. You abused the trust they placed in you.”
Police are continuing to investigate Wilkinson’s background and want to speak to anyone who may have had contact with him through photography or dating websites. It is thought that due to the fact that the men had been drugged and left with no memory of events, there could be many more potential victims. Police say they expect the number of victims to run into double figures.
PC Mike Steven said: “The circumstances of this case are truly horrifying. I’d encourage any other victim of Nigel WIlkinson to come forward and speak to us. We’re always here and ready to listen to, believe and respect victims.”
