COPS HUNT RAPE GANG; EXCLUSIVE: MODEL'S TERROR AT AWARDS.

Byline: RUSSELL FINDLAY

POLICE are hunting a gang accused of raping a fashion model after the MOBO awards.

The 20-year-old woman told officers she was attacked hours after partying with stars including X Factor winner Alexandra Burke at the official MOBO after-show bash in Glasgow.

She fears her drink was spiked before five men attacked her at a city hotel. A source said: "She was in a terrible state. One minute she was having a great night out, then she can remember very little of what happened next.

"She woke in the hotel room where there were several men but she has little memory of who they were or how she got there.

"She is convinced she was drugged before being raped by at least one of the men but she's not sure how many there were.

"The next morning, she went straight to the police. It's devastating for her and her family." The party which followed the star-studded music of black origin awards was h e l d a t the trendy Corinthian Bar in Glasgow city centre. Boxer Amir Khan was there, as were Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt and Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity.

The source added: "There's no suggestion that any of the men in the hotel room were famous or connected to any of the acts who attended the awards."

Intelligence Stars including La Toya and Jermaine Jackson and Britain's Got Talent sensation Shaheen Jafargholi flew into Glasgow for the MOBO bash at the SECC on September 30. It was the first time the awards had been held outside London. The model woke in a city centre hotel room the morning after the party and took a taxi to a police station. One source said: "The police are taking this very seriously. Many of the people the girl was with have been told to be available over the next few weeks, possibly for ID parades if arrests are made.

"The girl had not been drinking heavily and the nature of her memory loss is typical of such cases. "I don't think she knew what planet she was on. The police have been into a clothes shop where she used to work to speak to staffwhowere at the party." It is notoriously difficult for police and prosecutors to prove cases of drug-assisted sex assault. But Jean Cumming of Crisis, a Scots-based charity which counsels sex assault victims, said: "It's vital that victims report attacks. "It allows the police to build up intelligence about where they are happening and who is doing them."

Jean said more women were becoming aware of the threat of drug rape. But she added: "Of course, there are times when people let their guard down, especially if they are at ease with their surroundings and the company they are in." Police confirmed: "We are investigating an allegation of indecency involving a 20-year-old woman at a hotel in Glasgow city centre on October 1. Inquiries are ongoing." In a separate incident, a former drummer with rappers N-Dubz was arrested after a woman claimed she had been indecently assaulted. Aaron Fagan, 24, was released without charge.

CAPTION(S):

Star: Alexandra Burke at awards Party night: La Toya Jackson performing at the MOBO Awardceremony. Far left, the Corinthian bar where victim partied before alleged rape and police HQ, left Star guests: Alexandra Burke and Amir Khan were at the MOBOs