Man charged with rape of woman in alleged spiking incident

A man has been charged with raping a woman following a night out in Tameside.

Police received a report from a woman who believed at some time during a night out in Stalybridge Town Centre on Saturday 25 September, her drink had been spiked and she had been raped.

29-year-old Dale Garlick, of Calico Crecent, Stalybridge, has been charged with rape and has been remanded into custody.

He will appear at Tameside Magistrates Court today (Wednesday October 27.)

Greater Manchester Police said it "treats all reports of sexual assault and sexual violence with the utmost priority and confidentiality, and take allegations of this nature extremely seriously."

Incidents of spiking are alleged to have taken place in Preston, Liverpool and Manchester, with one woman claiming she was 'unable to speak clearly or stand' after her drink was reportedly tampered with.

Students across the North West are taking part in a boycott of bars and night clubs in response to reports of a rise in drink spiking across the country.

The #GirlsNightIn event took place in Liverpool on Tuesday 26 October and Manchester on Wednesday 27 October to coincide with a nationwide campaign.

It comes after almost 200 drug spikings - some involving needles - have been reported to police across the UK over the last two months.