Richard Scatchard, who was convicted of drug rape, should not have been released prior to his 2023 killing of Kelly Faiers, according to one of his victims. The BBC is not naming the victim, who shared her story in a documentary titled "The Chemical Killer: Death by Dating," available on BBC iPlayer.
Emeritus Professor Marianne Hester from Bristol University, a researcher in gender-based violence, stated that the internet has facilitated perpetrators' actions. "I think it provides a lot more ideas about what to get up to," she said.
Hester is advocating for the shutdown of websites that host videos appearing to show drugged or unconscious women being sexually assaulted. She also calls for law enforcement to recognize what she terms "chemical control" – a term she helped coin – as a distinct offense. "That's a really big, new area that we need to think about. It's about identification. If we don't start naming things, we don't look for them."
One pornography site was taken offline in May 2026 following a CNN investigation. However, BBC West Investigations discovered other sites hosting similar material. As of June, one site was found to contain over 900 videos tagged with the word "sleep."
The victim who spoke to the BBC expressed hope that sharing her experience might help others. "If you have feelings like I had and you doubt yourself - don't. Look after yourself otherwise it could be fatal," she advised.
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