A WOMAN is drugged during a business appointment. She is taken into the countryside and gang raped in front of a live audience. The attack is recorded on video. A female solicitor, goes on a date with a man and wakes the next morning, realising she has had sex but can't remember anything about it.

Graham Rhodes was working as a freelance scriptwriter when he uncovered these cases of drug rape. He was shocked, and for the next six months researched the subject in depth. The information he gathered showed drug-assisted rape was occurring in far greater numbers than anyone had realised.

"It was obviously happening more and more but there was nobody doing anything about it," he says. "At the time, it was a new crime and the police didn't know how to treat it. I had all this data so I decided I should do something, and the rest is history."

In 1997, Graham set up the Roofie Foundation, named after the type of drugs commonly used by rapists. Its primary aim was to provide a helpline service for victims. To date, the foundation has received more than 6,000 calls. According to the latest figures, released in July last year, 522 of those were in the North-East. The vast majority of victims are women but just over 700 men have contacted the foundation for help.

"People don't always report the attacks immediately because often, they don't realise what has happened. It may be two, three or even four years later when they see something on the television or read about it in a paper," says Graham.

"By that time, it's too late for them to report it to the police but there's a lot you can do to help them deal with the trauma, talking them through it and referring them to a counsellor if they need it."

Because the drugs most commonly used pass through the system very quickly, it is imperative that the victim reports the crime as soon as they realise they have been attacked, but even then, it may be too late. They often report feelings of disorientation, time loss and gaps in their memory - all of which make it difficult for them to piece together events. Drug rape comes close to being the perfect crime.

Of those who have contacted the foundation since 1997, only 15 per cent have reported the assault to the police. Prosecution rates are very low, with only 20 cases making it to court to date, and only half of those resulting in a conviction.

Rohypnol, ketamine and GHB (also known as liquid ecstasy) are the drugs of choice. GHB was made illegal last year, with sentences of up to two years in jail for possession, but there are dozens of other prescription drugs that can be used to spike drinks which carry no sentence for possession or supply.

Last year, following a Roofie Foundation tip-off, police raided and closed down a GHB factory in South Wales. It was a good result but had little impact on the supply of the drug, which is easily available if you know where to look.

"It is easy to get hold of but let's face it, it's easy to get hold of any illegal drugs," says Graham. "GHB was reclassified in July last year but it hasn't made any difference. Did making heroin illegal do anything to stop heroin abuse?

"It does, however, have a positive aspect. It's a valuable tool because it gives the police a hook on which to pin a charge, as well as drug rape. If someone knows they're going to be done for possession, they're more likely to think twice about it."

Last month, a London-based company launched a device that can detect whether a drink has been spiked. The matchbox-sized Drink Detective, and similar products, have been welcomed by Graham as a "positive move in the right direction".

But he believes there have to be massive changes in the way drug rape is regarded by the authorities if any real progress is to be made.

A fundamental barrier is the woeful lack of research. Professor Ian Hindmarch, based at Surrey University, carried out a study in 2001 with colleagues in the US, concluding that most women who believed they were victims of drug-assisted assaults were often simply drunk.

His work was partially discredited when it was discovered he had received funding from Hoffman La Roche, the company that manufactures Rohypnol. Similar doubts were cast over the work of Chief Inspector Ian Sturman, head of the now defunct Drug Rape Trust, when he admitted receiving money from the company in 2002.

"Apart from anything else, this research is out of date. There needs to be new, independent research by people whose livelihoods don't depend on the drug companies. We would be more than willing to do it in conjunction with the Home Office but no-one will talk to us," says Graham.

He sees this not as complacency but a lack of political will. "If they do actually do some research, they'll have to do something about the problem - and that could be expensive. No political party has ever sat down with us and looked at drug rape as an issue. They're pretending it's not there."

The Home Office doesn't collect separate statistics on drug rape. Genito-urinary medicine clinics are starting to keep records when people come to them for testing following an alleged drug rape but these have not been collated. The only indicator is the number of calls received by the Roofie Foundation, and Graham admits this could represent the entirety of the problem or just the tip of the iceberg.

In the meantime, the foundation continues to man its helpline, raise awareness and campaign on various issues. It is calling for an overhaul of the Forensic Science Service.

There is currently an eight to 12 week wait before samples are processed - a long wait in any circumstances but GHB and Rohypnol are thought to break down into substances found naturally in the body after four weeks.

The foundation also wants drug rape to be recognised as a major crime, with increased sentencing, and for the law and judiciary to treat drug rape victims of both sexes in a fairer manner.

It receives no funding. Its five staff are all volunteers and although it's registered office is in Knaresbrough, its forensic team is based in Derby and there are counsellors in Scotland, Wales and Surrey. Graham lives in Scarborough.

There are plans to set up a Roofie Scotland and Roofie Wales. Graham helped the Scottish National Executive with their drug rape awareness campaign earlier this year. His ultimate aim is to have an office in every UK region but he knows this is a long way off.

"It is going to take a long time to change but we're working away. One of the real problems is that there is a perpetual argument that drug rape is an urban myth.

" It's in various people's interest for it to be an urban myth but it's a very serious problem and we're fighting that argument every step of the way."