Assault, Drugs Charges Laid After Rainbow Serpent Festival

28 January 2015 | 12:07 pm | Staff Writer

More than 10,000 punters converged north-west of Ballarat for the event

A 35-year-old man will face Ballarat Magistrates Court today after allegedly indecently assaulting a woman at this weekend past's Rainbow Serpent Festival at Lexton, Victoria, while a handful of other punters will face drugs charges after testing positive for illicit substances at a traffic stop.

As ABC News reports, the court-bound man is accused of entering the woman's tent on Sunday morning before indecently assaulting her. He was also charged with drug trafficking and possession, and remanded to custody.

In addition, more than 200 drivers were tested for illicit substances by police, with at least three punters being charged for driving under the influence, while a 38-year-old man faces charges of trafficking and a 23-year-old man has been charged with drug possession and allegedly assaulted police.

Paramedics treated a number of festival-goers for psychiatric issues, it has been reported, while Ambulance Victoria said that at least another three revellers found themselves in Ballarat Hospital after overdosing on drugs.

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Despite the charges, a police spokeswoman told the ABC that the crowd was "generally well behaved", though drug use remains a point of concern for the force.

More than 10,000 people are estimated to have been in attendance at the weekend's event, which featured acts such as Beats Antique, Thugfucker, Rinkadink, 16 Bit Lolitas and Audiomatic over its four-day duration.