BBCSpiking victims have spoken out about their ordeals as police warn “harmful myths and stereotypes” mean the crime is still under-reported.
The BBC spoke to a number of people who said they had not reported their experiences to police, citing reasons such as “shame, embarrassment and the belief nothing would be done”.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has been working with forces across the UK to stop spiking, which involves putting alcohol or drugs into someone’s drink, or into their body through another method, without their consent or knowledge.
Ministers are set to introduce a new law to make spiking a specific criminal offence, which they claim would help police better respond to incidents.
Stamp Out Spiking, a charity established to tackle the rising number of spiking incidents across the UK, estimates 90% of victims do not report the crime.
Meriwether Lewis, who lives in Bristol, told the BBC she had been the victim of an attempted sexual assault at a club during her first week at university.
She was 18 years old and believes her drink was spiked in an effort to subdue her as she had only drunk two alcoholic drinks before she “blacked out”.
‘I locked myself in my room for days’
“I remember I was in the crowd and we were leaving. The next thing I remember being on the street, crying hysterically, nobody knew what was happening,” Ms Lewis said.
“My friend told me when they found me, I was shaking and crying and my words tumbled out – a man tried to take me away, he tried to rip my clothes off.
“I went into shock and felt the violence rip through my body. My first thought was, ‘How could I have let this happen to me?’. It felt like my fault. I didn’t tell anyone and I locked myself in my room for days.”
Symptoms of spiking can include memory loss, confusion, loss of ability to communicate and hallucinations, police say.
In the years following the assault, Ms Lewis, who is now 26, said she had not sought support or reported the incident to police because she felt ashamed.
“To this day now, I feel it in my body. It’s so horrible that violence has so much power over you – even though I was lucky enough to get away because there are so many that don’t,” she said.
“Keeping it all to myself caused me to become depressed. My mental health reached such a low point and I had to drop out of university.
“It was only when I opened up to those around me that I got my life back and I would urge others to do the same.”
Police in England and Wales received 6,732 reports of spiking in the year ending April 2023. The figure includes reports of needle spiking where someone is injected with drugs without their consent.
But the NPCC said the actual number of incidents was likely to be much higher due to “harmful myths and stereotypes” which could prevent victims from coming forward.
It said cases were difficult to investigate because drugs passed through people’s systems quickly and there was often a lack of evidence.
It added this was why quick reporting and early evidence gathering, including forensic testing, were key.
Spiking is already a crime and is covered by legislation including the 1861 Offences against the Person Act.
But the government believes plans to make it a specific offence could lead to improved outcomes in investigations.
Det Insp Troy Smith at Wiltshire Police said: “We don’t know the true extent of spiking at the moment. It’s a difficult crime to investigate and prosecute, because of the nature of the substances used, and also because it’s linked to sexual attacks on the end of it.
“It’s traditionally targeted at women and girls.”
He said there were barriers, such as the erosion of trust in police, that stopped victims reporting spiking incidents.
This has been apparent particularly since serving police officer Wayne Couzens abducted and murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021.
Det Insp Smith said the sensitive nature of sexual offending meant there were also feelings of shame and embarrassment around disclosing offences.
“Some people don’t realise it’s a crime,” he said. “Others think police won’t take it seriously, but I’m here to say we certainly do, we can offer advice and will investigate around spiking if reported to us.”
Clara Baker, who lives in Exeter, was 16 years old when she was spiked after ordering a soft drink at a festival.
She was invited up onto a vehicle which was part of the parade and ordered a soda.
“I felt woozy at first, then the world started spinning. I started to feel sick, had a lack of control, I didn’t even know where I was, or what was going on,” said Ms Baker.
“I was really confused and had no control over my body. Looking back, it was such a vulnerable place to be at that age. If someone tried to take me, I would not have been able to fight back.”
Ms Baker’s friends found her and made sure she was safe, but the experience affected her for years to come.
“I felt for such a long time like it was my fault, I must have put myself into the wrong situation, I trusted the wrong person,” she said.
“I didn’t even think about reporting it to the police because the shame was too much.”
Common myths surrounding spiking:
- Spiking victims just had too much to drink
- Spiking happens only to women and girls
- Spiking is only done by strangers
- Spiking on its own is not a crime
- The police do not take spiking seriously
Source: NPCC
Ms Baker, who is now 28 years old, says she does not like going to nightclubs.
“I always want to see my drink poured and I avoid busy environments,” she said.
“I feel violated and that will always stay with me. It makes me angry to think we are made to feel ashamed despite being victims of a crime.”
Stamp Out Spiking has been educating the public, night-time economy workers and emergency services through workshops and training.
Founder Dawn Dines said: “Many of the victims I have spoken to over these years, they went on a night out, had a lovely time and suddenly there is a total blank.
“Imagine waking up the next day knowing someone has had sex with you and you don’t know who it is. You have no memory and the drugs used meant you couldn’t put up a fight.”
“We need accredited training in our bars, pubs, clubs, public transport and hospitals. People working in these places need to know what to look out for,” added Ms Dines.
The NPCC said that in response to fears of under-reporting, police forces across the country have been taking regular, targeted patrols of busy town centres to raise awareness of the symptoms of spiking.
Assistant Chief Constable Samantha Millar, lead for violence against women and girls at the NPCC, said: “We would encourage anyone who is a victim of spiking to report it to the police. You will be listened to, and you will be taken seriously.”
If you, or someone you know has been affected by issues raised in this story, sources of support are available via the BBC Action Line