Rainbow Serpent Organisers Respond To Reports Of Sexual Offences At Festival

Rainbow Serpent organisers have issued a response regarding reports that two sexual assaults occurred at last week's five-day festival. 

As Fairfax reports, one sexual assault was reported on 26 January and is still under investigation, while another 23-year-old man has been arrested and charged with a sex offence that allegedly took place the next day. 

The punter has been charged with a sex offence, the assault of a security guard and an emergency worker, and using a drug of dependence. 

He has been bailed to appear at Ballarat Magistrates Court next month.

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"We are heartbroken these incidents have allegedly occurred at a gathering founded on principles of peace, respect, love and community," festival director Tim Harvey said in a statement issued to The Music.

"We are doing everything in our power to assist police with their investigations and support the members of our community affected by these abhorrent incidents."

Meanwhile, organisers of the Victorian festival have hit back at police who expressed disappointment with the crowd behaviour, after 44 drivers allegedly tested positive to having drugs in their system and six drug-related arrests occurred. 

"The general behaviour of our crowd this year has been wonderful and we’d like to focus on thanking the literally 99.7% of our patrons that Victoria Police was not referring to in yesterday’s statement," Harvey said.

"Additionally, although we’re disappointed to have even one positive saliva test from our crowd, it’s clear from the 10,600 drug and drink driving offences recorded from 106,000 tests statewide over last weekend that, compared to the average public, our crowd is mostly and overwhelmingly well behaved both on and off the roads."

The report comes just weeks after two contractors who worked for the festival were arrested after being caught with a large amount of drugs and cash in their vehicle while on their way to the event.