http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?newsl...30558&set_id=1
Date-rape drug probe after pilot grounded
August 13 2002 at 10:52AM
A former Virgin Atlantic pilot has appealed to a British employment tribunal after being fired following a night out in Cape Town in which he claimed he was drugged, robbed and left unfit for flying duty the next morning.
His dismissal meant he was no longer eligible for a severance package he had been due to claim three weeks later.
Now his lawyers want to speak to anyone in Cape Town who might have had a similar experience to that reported by Martin Baker, 42, of Kent.
Baker claims on March 24 he was drugged by two Russian-speaking men who were staying at his hotel, and whom he met in a Waterfront bar.
'My captain didn't believe me'
The next morning colleagues struggled to wake Baker. When he did wake up, he said, valuables had been stolen, including his cellphone and cash.
Baker claimed he was drugged either at the bar where he met the two men or in his room at the Cullinan Hotel after he invited them in for a nightcap. "I told my colleagues what had happened to me, but my captain didn't believe me," said Baker.
His lawyers suspect he was a victim of Rohypnol, the "date rape" drug. But tests in Britain could not confirm whether he was drugged. Rohypnol stays in the body for less than 12 hours.
"What I can remember from the evening is a total blur. All I've got are snippets of memory," Baker said.
He said he reported the incident to hotel security staff, who said they would contact the police. Cape Town police could not confirm on Monday whether a case had been reported.
'All I've got are snippets of memory'
After his return to London, Baker was fired for being "drunk on duty". This meant he was no longer eligible for a R300 000 severance package.
Virgin Atlantic spokesperson Polly Hardiman said: "It would be inappropriate for us to comment as this matter is currently the subject of proceedings before the employment tribunal."
The Cullinan Hotel also declined to comment.