Spiked for fun: Victims speak out as campaigners demand action
Alarming new figures obtained exclusively by ITV News and The Tonight Programme show the crime of spiking may be significantly under-reported, ITV News' West of England reporter Sangita Lal has this report
After months of research I was about to interview my first victim of spiking, but Nikki Garnett's story wasn't one I was expecting.The 57-year-old was out having a few drinks with her husband in Newcastle when she suddenly felt very "different".
“I literally took one foot off the pavement. It was so quick to cross the road... and I felt like I was just going down,"
"My husband looked around a bit surprised and said, are you okay? Because we hadn't had that much to drink, you know, thinking what on earth's going on?
"And I tried to say no, I'm not okay. As I was trying to verbalize it, absolute nonsense was coming out of my mouth, absolute gibberish. I couldn't speak.”
Nikki believes she was a victim of a game called 'Take Them Down', where victims are spiked purely for entertainment.And she is one of a huge number of spiking victims who didn't know why they were spiked.Of nearly 600 respondents from an exclusive survey saying they had been spiked nearly 50% of victims didn’t know why they had been spiked and there was no other crime committed.
"It was pure panic": Nikki Garnett believes she was spiked for entertainment
Filming on a Friday night in Bristol recently, it was clear how many people this crime impacts.Every single woman I spoke to told me they had either been spiked or knew someone who had.
These weren't people we had arranged to meet, because they had already shared their experience in some way.
They weren't known experts related to spiking.
They were women we approached at random, who then told us they had been attacked or knew of someone who had.
None of their attackers had been caught or held accountable.
That was by far the most shocking aspect of this story for me.
Spiking is the act of putting a substance into someone's drink, or into their body through another method, without their consent. It can happen to anyone at any time, but it disproportionally affects women.
While trying to understand the true scale of spiking across the UK, we realised the problem is that you simply can't know the full extent.
It's an underreported crime. Some people I spoke to didn't even know it was illegal.
Campaigners say the reason is that it's been trivialised for too long.
For example, in films like 'The Hangover', where the plot centres around spiking, or 'ironic' jokes like the one made by the former Home Secretary James Cleverley, suggesting he put Rohypnol in his wife's drink – for which he’s since apologised.
Campaigners say they believe it's often not deemed that important or serious.
Unlike other types of assault, there's a short time limit on proving spiking.
Drugs often only last in the body for up to about 12 hours, or in some cases even less time, so unless a victim has a police approved drugs testing kit on them and has the capacity to test themselves or be tested quickly , there will often be no hard evidence the spiking took place, other than the victim's word.
Not only do police have to prove who administered the narcotics and that they were given without consent, they have to prove that drugs were in the victims system in the first place, and that requires police forensics, not NHS medical tests.
So many people I spoke to told me they didn't bother telling the police because they thought they wouldn't be believed.
However, reporting is something that Sussex police, whom we filmed with, encourage.
“Contact the authorities," Det. Chief Inspector Andrew Harbour urged victims. "And our aim is really to look after you, make sure that you're safe and then secure evidence.
"And that may sound scary, but actually it's not dissimilar to what a GP would ask for in terms of a urine sample. And if nothing more, what we need to be able to do is build that picture and better target our prevention activity."
The most common form of spiking is from alcohol, added unknowingly to someone’s drink. Other drugs used are illegal ‘party’ drugs, like GHB and cocaine, there are also a range of constantly changing new synthetics.
Spikers could also add cannabis to food, or tamper with vapes.
Exclusive data from the charity Stamp Out Spiking confirms that the true scale of spiking may be significantly underreported, with many victims choosing not to report incidents to authorities.
While nearly 7,000 incidents were officially reported in England and Wales in 2023, the survey data shared with ITV News indicates that this number may represent only a fraction of actual cases.
Among nearly 600 respondents, just 26% said they had reported their experience to police, suggesting the total could be four times higher than official figures show.
Of those respondents saying they had been spiked:
Nearly 7% were by injection
83% reported their drink was spiked
Under one percent said their vape was spiked
Nearly 50% of victims didn’t know why they had been spiked
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Dawn Dines, from Stamp Out Spiking, said: "I've spoken to so many men and women over this past two decades and, you know, they say, well, what can be done? What is gonna be done? So that's why they're just not reporting."
Most incidents of spiking do happen on a night out - according to the National Police Chief's Council, around 80% of cases happen in pubs, bars, or clubs, but it can happen anywhere and to anyone.
Campaigners are calling for the government to introduce a specific offence of spiking or to amend the existing law to include a specific offence of spiking.
Mandy and Colin lost their son Greg while he was in his college halls of residence.
Police say they found the equivalent of five ecstasy tablets in his soft drink.
His parents say they are convinced that drugs were not part of the character of their son and police investigated whether he’d been spiked, but they were told they couldn’t gather enough evidence to charge.
When we interviewed Mandy and Colin, we visited the speedway track where Greg used to race every week. Colin told me how Greg was his best friend and he used to love watching him compete.
The grief both Colin and Mandy have felt every day since his death was so clear but so was their passion to make sure other families never experience what they have.
Colin and Mandy's son died while he was in his college halls of residence. They believe he was spiked
“We need a standalone offence. We need it to be clear. No confusion, not mocked up and tied in with other offences. Just a straight - if you are spiked, the police will treat the matter the same way. And that's what we want," Colin said.
Colin and Mandy now run Spike Aware, a charity they set up to help protect people on nights out but they're also campaigning for a change in the law to prevent perpetrators. In response to a question by Colin and Mandy's MP, David Mundell, in Parliament last week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the government would make spiking a specific criminal offence, "to better protect victims and support the police in tackling these crimes."Previously spiking was a crime covered by several pieces of legislation, including the Offences against the Person Act 1861.
Police are now rolling out new guidance to their officers to improve evidence gathering.
The Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, told us: “Spiking is an abhorrent crime, and this Government is determined to stamp it out.
"We will create a new offence on spiking which will allow the police to better respond to this vile crime, and we will empower all victims to feel confident to come forward and report it.”
It’s an uncomfortable truth that some people across the UK will almost certainly be spiked this weekend.
Campaigners and victims alike hope that a combination of legislation and new safety measures will deliver the change they say, is so desperately needed.
You can watch 'Spiking: How Safe is Your Night Out?' On Thursday November 7 at 20.30 or later on ITVX
How to get help if you have been affected by the issues mentioned in this article:
CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) - Helpline: 0800 58 58 58
MIND provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Information line: 0300 123 3393
Samaritans is an organisation offering confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone 116 123 (a free 24 hour helpline).
Shout is a 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone struggling to cope and in need of immediate help. Text SHOUT to 85258
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