BRISTOL PHOTOGRAPHER SENTENCED FOR DRUGGING AND RAPING MEN IN SOCIAL MEDIA STING
An amateur photographer named Nigel Wilkinson, aged 43, has been sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in prison for serial sexual offending.Wilkinson seduced straight men on social media, particularly Instagram, and lured them to his residence under the guise of male fitness or modeling shoots.
Once there, he would give the victims alcohol and drugs, including the date rape drug Rohypnol, to render them unconscious and incapable of resisting.
During these encounters, Wilkinson would commit sexual acts without their consent, often leaving the victims devastated and unable to remember what happened.
Police investigations revealed that Wilkinson had been involved in similar offenses, using his online photography enterprise "WilkoPhotography" as a cover for his predatory activities.
Officers discovered that he had a collection of disturbing photographs of naked males on his computer and found multiple victims with traces of sedatives in their systems.
Wilkinson pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and three counts of administering a substance with intent to rape, as well as possessing illegal drugs including Rohypnol and Nitrazepam.
The court heard that Wilkinson’s particular interest was in targeting young, straight men and exploiting their trust.
He had also claimed to have a connection to actor Leonardo DiCaprio, which was unfounded.
His crimes have left his victims profoundly affected, and detectives suspect the number of victims could be much higher, possibly into double figures.
Judge Michael Longman emphasized the betrayal of trust and the false pretenses Wilkinson used to lure his victims, condemning his actions as selfish and damaging.
Wilkinson has also expressed remorse through a written apology, although the court considered the severity of his crimes and his manipulative behavior.
