Nigel Wilkinson jailed: Photographer who drugged and raped two men receives 11 year sentence

Nigel Wilkinson, the photographer who drugged and raped two men at his Bristol home, has been jailed for 11 and a half years.

The 43-year-old, who worked as a male fitness photographer, admitted raping the two men after drugging with a cocktail of drugs including the "date-rape" drug, Rohypnol. 

Wilkinson was arrested after Avon and Somerset police officers visited his home in April to arrest him for offences against a 19-year-old man from Kent when they found a second 23-year-old victim asleep on the sofa. 

Traces of the sedatives were found in both victims' urine samples and DNA evidence linked Wilkinson to sexual offences committed against them.

The court heard how Wilkinson would identify his victims on social media and invite them to come to his home in Bristol for a free photoshoot. 

When they arrived they were given alcoholic drinks laced with sedatives - detectives later found the tablets stashed in a shirt pocket in his wardrobe.

The alarm was raised after the 19-year-old first victim texted his girlfriend to say he thought he had been drugged as he felt a tablet on his tongue while sipping a drunk.

After she raised the alarm police arrived at the house, finding him and the second victim with little memory of what had happened to them.

Since the investigation began another victim has come forward who also had his drink spiked. 

Detective Constable Stacey Matthews said: "Nigel Wilkinson promoted himself as a male fitness photographer and last summer set up an online enterprise called WilkoPhotography.

"He’d use social media to identify men he wanted to photograph and would invite them to Bristol for a photoshoot.

"The men would often stay at his home and throughout their visit he would ply them with alcoholic drinks, some of which were laced with sedatives."