KATE McCann has bravely revealed her “awful” drink spiking ordeal.
The Times Radio presenter claims the terrifying act was carried out by a group of “brazen men” that “didn’t care who saw” what they were doing.
Dan CharityKate Mcann has revealed that she was spiked in a bar[/caption]
Paul EdwardsThe journalist said her friend had to put her in an Uber after just one drink[/caption]
GettyThousands fall victim to spiking every year[/caption]
Her horrifying experience took place while she was out having a few drinks in a bar.
After just one sip of her spiked beverage, Kate started to feel the effects of what had been slipped into it.
The journalist said the men responsible didn’t try to hide what they were doing and were soon clocked by one of Kate’s colleagues.
Still searching for answers on why it happened, Kate bravely spoke out as thousands are spiked each year.
Taking to X/formerly known as Twitter, Kate said: “I had my drink spiked in a bar by a group of men so brazen they didn’t care who saw.
“A colleague spotted them, thought we’d be OK as I’d only had one sip but sadly it was enough. It was awful and I was lucky.
“Still don’t understand why they did it. It’s SO scarily common.”
Speaking on the radio on Sunday, Kate said her friend and work colleague put her in an Uber and sent her home when she started to feel off.
The political editor revealed she also feared whether people would believe her because she didn’t get tested right away.
Speaking on Times Radio she added: “Because it was with work colleagues I knew something wasn’t right.
“There is a sense of embarrassment about it. Will people think I’ve drunk too much. But that was our first drink.”
Hundreds of people have spoken out about their experiences in support of Kate.
What is spiking?
Spiking is when someone puts drugs or alcohol into another person’s drink.
It is not always obvious that your drink has been tampered with.
Spiking can happen in the form of a powder or liquid if dropped into a beverage.
Some people are even spiked via needles and vapes – also without their knowledge.
One victim, named Martin, said: “I took my staff out for drinks, we were aware of spiking and were drinking bottles of beer.
“I picked up one of the girls beers by mistake and lost 48 hours.
“Thankfully I lived close by and got home somehow.
“I dread to think what could have happened to one of the girls that night.”
A concerned mum added: “My daughter was spiked in her first term at university.
“St Thomas’ Hospital refused to drug test her and didn’t report it to police as “no one had actually assaulted her”.
“I had to acquire a test privately in order to prove she had been spiked. Change is badly needed!”
Sarah Owen, MP, wrote: “I’m so sorry Kate. That’s awful and as you say, sadly scarily common.”
Thousands of people fall victim to speaking each year, but the true numbers are hard to prove – as not every spiking case is reported to police.
The first year the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) started collecting drink spiking data was for 2022-23.
It registered 6,732 incidents reported to cops, 4,643 of which were drink spiking.
A shocking 957 were carried out by needles and the remainder were by unspecified means.
According to a YouGov poll, 11 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men said they had been spiked.
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