Kate McCann bravely shares horrifying spiking ordeal by 'brazen' group of men

25 February 2024 , 12:01

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Times Radio political editor Kate McCann spoke about the ordeal (Image: PA)

Times Radio political editor Kate McCann has night revealed that she had her drink spiked in a bar on a night out by a "brazen" group of men.

The 35-year-old broadcaster posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the experience and said that the men "didn't care who saw it happen" as she gave details of the terrifying ordeal in response to an article that highlighted the drug spiking epidemic that has been sweeping the country.

Writing on X, Kate revealed: "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."

There were a number of people replying saying that they had also been victims of drink spiking, with one sharing that her husband had also suffered from it recently. Kate replied to them on X: "That’s awful. It’s such a strange thing, I still can’t work out what they had to gain? I was in a big group and there was no way to isolate me really - I don’t understand the point. Perhaps best not to think too hard about it maybe."

As the debate continued on social media, another posted in reply to Kate: "I hear a lot about it and also have never met anyone that has had the experience either. So It's not 1% of people that go on a night out even is it, is my point." This was challenged by Kate, with the political editor responding: "Anecdote definitely doesn’t match data - I think that’s a very good argument for more work to be done to figure out exactly how widespread it is. When I mentioned it to friends a number had similar experiences or knew people who had, so I think it’s just not openly discussed."

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Broadcaster and journalist Kate McCann has highlighted the rise of spiking drinks (Talk TV)

Kate later explained the difference in feelings from being drunk to what it is like being spiked, with the broadcaster posting: "The one thing I would say about whether people get confused about just being too drunk is that being spiked feels nothing like being drunk - even really really drunk. It’s a totally different and really horrid feeling which you KNOW isn’t just alcohol. Like being out of your body."

A YouGov poll recently revealed that 11 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men said they had been spiked and Conservative MP Laura Farris said that this was being tackled more frequently, in an interview with The Sunday Times. She said: "Spiking is now part of an MP’s weekly casework. People, mostly a parent of the victim, increasingly write to say this is an issue. It happens often."

James Brinsford