A number of people who attended a four-day music festival in regional Victoria have been charged by police, including a man involved in an ‘upskirting’ incident.
Taking place in the lead-up to the Australia Day Weekend, this year’s edition of the annual Rainbow Serpent festival (it’s 17th!), drew a sold out capacity of 15,000 punters to the bush for four days of electronic and dance music, with a lineup that featured the likes of DJs Donato Dozzy, Michael Mayer, and FreQ Nasty among more than 100 acts.
But one Rainbow Serpent attendee was charged by Victoria Police following an alleged incident at a public toilet at the Lexton-hosted festival on Monday 27th January, as the Ballarat Courier reports.
A Victorian Police spokesperson said that a 45-year-old man from Reyerstown had been charged with 210 counts of ‘upskirting’, as well as drug possession and use.
Police are calling for other festival-goers who feel like they might have been victims of cases of ‘upskirting’ by the 45-year-old Fryerstown resident, who has been bailed ahead of his appearance at Ballarat Magistrates Court on 27th February. A Victorian Police spokesperson said that a 45-year-old man from Reyerstown had been charged with 210 counts of ‘upskirting’
Inspector Ian Geddes said in a media release that due to the hearing, Police were limited in what information could be issued to the public, but urged victims to come forward.
“If (festival-goers) believe they are a victim, I advise (that) they go to their local police station and provide as much detail as they can,” Inspector Geddes said. “Incidents like this have been growing in recent years … it’s driven by the internet and people becoming more aware of these types of events.”
Aside from the sexual offender, Police charged another man for serious drug-related and driving offences, after he allegedly breached a seurity checkpoint on the second day of Rainbow Serpent, while 10 trespassers were ejected from the site, 10 drug-drivers detected, and several more people issued drug cautions or warnings over the course of the festival, as the Ballarat Courier details.
Overall however, Police were “generally pleased” with the overall behaviour of Rainbow Serpent’s thousands-strong audience. The dance music festival’s medical tent was kept busy though, with Ambulance Victoria group manager Central Grampians Graham McGrath saying that around 1,000 people were treated at the on-site medical centre.
“Paramedics took 10 people to hospital over the weekend, the majority of them related to some sort of drug overdose or the effect of drugs,” Mr McGrath said, noting that extra ambulances “extra ambulances were arranged to attend to patients. By and large the crowd was well-behaved.” “Even though we have up to 15,000 people on site, there’s a really intimate vibe.”
This year’s return of Rainbow Serpent to Lexton follows on from the 2013 edition being put at risk of cancellation owing to issues with local council over securing a safety permit.
After 11th hour tabled meetings between festival organisers Green Ant Productions and Pyrenees Shire Council to satisfy their approval of the changes to the event’s emergency services, and a direct appeal from Ms Adriana Buccianti – the mother of 34-year-old Daniel Buccianti who died at the 2012 Rainbow Serpent of a drug-related overdose – the event went ahead as planned.
Securing a permit for this year’s edition was a lot smoother, with Festival Director Tim Harvey working closely with local authorities and emergency services. Pyrenees Shire Mayor Robert Vance also welcomed the return of Rainbow Serpent for 2014, telling The Courier council supported the event due it delivering a significant boost to local economy thanks to the huge crowds and business it regularly pulls to the north-west Ballarat town.
Lexton local Geraldine Smith was one of many that extolled Rainbow Serpent’s community benefits to ABC News. “It brings a lot of money into our community. It’s money that we wouldn’t have that we’re really pleased to have,” she says.
Mr Harvey also says he looks forward to the growth of the festival in future; “But we certainly don’t want to grow to the point we ruin the nice vibe that we’ve got here, he says. “Even though we have up to 15,000 people on site, there’s a really intimate vibe, so any changes that we consider will be well and truly thought through.”
