Make spiking a specific offence, MPs told

MPs have been urged to make spiking a specific crimnal offence in a bid to tackle the issue.

The Home Affairs Select Committee launched a new inquiry last year to better understand the prevalence of spiking and the effectiveness of the police response to it.

In its first meeting, MPs have been hearing evidence from those who have been spiked both through drink and injection.

Hannah Stratton from Cornwall had her drink spiked whilst out at a bar with friends, she told the committee:

"I don't like to use the word spiked anymore because I don't think I was spiked. My drink was drugged.

"I would like to move away from that term because I think it belittles the experience that so many people going through.

"None of us had any idea at all that this had happened. It wasn't until the next day that I was trying to work it all out."

Hannah also told the committee that, in the days that followed, she felt unable to report the crime:

"I absolutely didn't and I and I regret that and I'm very aware of why I didn't. I doubted myself.

"You just feel so disgusted in yourself and that may make sense to the other victims here.

"It takes quite a while to actually switch that around and realise that actually, I shouldn't be blaming myself."

Alexi Skitinis from South Wales also was spiked whilst on a night in Las Vegas.

"It was a traumatic time to be honest.

"I was scared. I was in a different country on my own and I went into the corner, I was there for two hours.

"I was on my own in Las Vegas for six hours of the night, and then two, three days later in the hospital.

"It's important that people are aware of this. The majority of spikings are females, but anyone can be spiked at any time."

More than a quarter of people know a victim of spiking

According to a survey by YouGov last year, more than a third (34%) of women and around a fifth (21%) of men said they knew someone who had had their drink spiked.

But last year there were widespread social media reports of people being spiked through injection.

Zara Owen is a student at Nottingham Uni. She also gave evidence to the inquiry about her experience:

"I hadn't had much to drink that night and I thought it was going to be like any old normal night out with my friends.

"I've got no memory of the entire event. I woke up with a really sharp, agonising pain in my leg, which left me limping.

"When I touched that part of my leg, I found a pinprick mark.

"I had heard of people being spiked via injections through social media and I thought that could have happened to me.

"Over time, I researched a little bit more, and I thought, Yes, this is what happened to me and it's a scary thing.

"The fact that someone has injected a narcotic into my body without me being aware, is terrifying.

The session also heard evidence from leading groups aiming to tackle the issue of spiking in clubs, bars and at house parties.

Finding out the extent of spiking is "virtually impossible"

Dawn Dines, Chief Executive Officer, Stamp Out Spiking called for a specific criminal offence to make the consequences to perpetrators clearer as well as to keep track of the issue:

"I've contacted all the police forces throughout the country to try and find out exactly the extent of this crime." She said.

"Because it doesn't have his own specific offence code, it is virtually impossible."

She also called for much better education aroud the different types of spiking:

"Education is key in what we're talking about here because there's something totally different between drink spiking with alcohol and drink spiking with date rape drugs.

"If somebody spikes you and puts extra alcohol in your drink, it can have a bad effect but if somebody uses drugs you will be compliant, you won't be able to put up a fight, you will leave with the assailant, you'll have no memory of what's happened to you.

"That is something that desperately needs to be educated on because you only have a very small window if somebody spikes your drink."

The inquiry will continue to hear evidence over the coming weeks.

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