Spiking victim felt ‘too ashamed’ to report attack to police

Spiking 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 Chief’s 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”.