Online 'Rape Academy' Exposed: Telegram Group 'ZZZ' Teach Men How to Commit Sexual Assault

A Telegram group called 'ZZZ' has been exposed as a venue where men exchanged advice on how to sexually assault women. The group has since been deleted, and an investigation is currently underway.

According to reports, a former member of the group detailed what had been taking place for months. Members also exchanged videos of their assaults on women who were either drugged, intoxicated, or asleep.

Telegram Group Exposed as Source of 'Deep Sleep' Videos

One of the videos uploaded to the group reportedly shows men opening the eyelids of unconscious women to confirm they are in a deep sleep, before proceeding to assault them. Members of ZZZ also exchanged advice on where to purchase drugs from the black market, as well as methods for administering those drugs to women without their knowledge. Of particular concern, the assaults documented in the group did not only occur between strangers. Members also shared advice on how to assault their own wives.

'Eye Check' and 'Passed Out' Videos on Porn Sites

Similar videos have been uploaded to the pornography platform Motherless.com. The website hosts over 20,000 such videos, which receive hundreds of thousands of views daily. The so-called 'sleep videos' are tagged using the hashtags 'eyecheck' and 'passedout' on the platform.

Both the website and the chat group are characterised by a culture of anonymity. What has made these videos prolific online is the sense of community members have cultivated around them. There are instances where some members have sought to meet in person, though most typically decline.

Victim Speaks Out

Zoe Watts, one of the victims, revealed that her husband of 16 years had been crushing her son's sleeping medicine into her drinks and assaulting her while she was unconscious. She said that the discovery shattered her world, given that the person responsible was someone she had trusted completely.

'We worry about who's coming behind us, walking down the street, or who's even friending us on Facebook. You know, we worry about going to our car late at night in a car park, but we don't worry about who you lie next to. I didn't realise I had to,' she said.

Watts' husband confessed to her in 2018. After learning what he had been doing, Watts kept the matter from her family, fearing the impact the revelation would have on her children. She was eventually left with no choice but to disclose the truth to her entire family, and a subsequent four-year legal process resulted in her children being bullied at school.

Her husband is currently serving an 11-year sentence for rape, sexual assault, penetration, and drugging. 'There's a shame and a guilt that comes with it, that, "Oh, maybe I should have known, or I can't believe I didn't realise. Why didn't I connect those dots?"' she said. Watts stressed that what she experienced constitutes rape regardless of her husband's identity, as she was drugged, asleep, and had not given consent. She and several other victims are currently recovering from the trauma inflicted by those closest to them.