While Victoria Police said that the crowd who attended the recent Rainbow Serpent Festival in western Victoria were generally well behaved, several unfortunate incidents did occur during the event, including a 35-year-old man who was charged for allegedly indecently assaulting a woman during the long-weekend dance event.
According to ABC News, the man is accused of going into the woman’s tent and assaulting her on Sunday morning. Police also charged the man with drug trafficking and possession. Officers reportedly remanded him in custody and he was scheduled to appear in the Ballarat Magistrates Court yesterday.
A strong police presence was on patrol in and around the site, which was located at Lexton in western Victoria, north-west of Ballarat, and ran for four days from 23rd January. Police charged a 38-year-old man with drug trafficking and a 23-year-old man, who allegedly assaulted police, is also facing drug possession charges.
[include_post id=”432582″]
According to Ambulance Victoria, via ABC News, at least three people were taken to the Ballarat Hospital following drug overdoses, and paramedics said that they treated a number of people for psychiatric issues. Police also drug tested more than 200 drivers, though only three were found to be driving under the influence.
Organisers warned punters heading to the festival of the widespread police presence, which ultimately attracted more than 10,000 people, suggesting they should “expect to be tested when arriving and leaving the festival“, and reaffirming their commitment to curbing illicit drug use and driving under the influence.
As The Courier reports, the popular dance music event has been marred by controversy in recent years. 34-year-old Daniel Buccianti died from a drug overdose during the 2012 event and five others were admitted to hospital following excessive drug consumption in 2010.
