Calls for Guernsey to follow UK in reforming spiking laws

"There is a clear frustration at the misconception that this offence does not happen locally", said a campaigner. Credit: PA

A charity in Guernsey is calling for the island to follow the UK government's plans to reform its drink spiking laws

Spiking is when someone puts drugs into another person's drink, or directly into their body, without their knowledge or consent.

The UK Home Office said this week it will modernise past laws to make it clear that spiking is illegal - something which is not as distinct in Channel Island legislation.

There are no confirmed cases of spiking in Guernsey - which some say is a result of the difficulty in proving this kind of incident occurred.

Poppy Murray chairs a charity called SafetyNet - which works to keep women safe from harassment, assault, and drink-spiking.

She said "Unfortunately, the complexities of the current Guernsey law will, undoubtedly, be playing a role in the fact that there is a 0% conviction rate for spiking locally".

Poppy added that she witnesses a "clear frustration at the misconception that this offence does not happen locally".

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