An East Cambridgeshire woman has recalled the terrifying moment her drink was spiked while on a night out in Ely as shocking new figures reveal the scale of the issue.
Lucy Oakes, from Ely, became "severely ill" and collapsed outside her local pub after consuming a “cocktail jug” while she was out with friends.
The 51-year-old, who is calling on harsher punishments for those caught drink spiking, said she was discovered "delirious" by her partner who called an ambulance.
An exclusive investigation by this newspaper found just one report of drink spiking resulted in a charge in the last five years.
According to a Freedom of Information request, Cambridgeshire Constabulary received more than 350 drink spiking reports between 2019 and 2024.
Figures show that of the 359 reports received by the force, 261 were from female victims, 73 from male victims while 25 cases did not specify a gender.
East Cambridgeshire saw 13 reports of drink spiking across the five-year period, with Cambridge recording the highest number of alleged offences.
Ms Oakes told the Ely Standard: "It was a terrifying experience. I remember going to the toilet feeling incredibly drunk after a small jug of cocktails and knew that something wasn't right.
"When I came out of the toilet, I remembered looking across to the table where I was sat and not knowing how to walk - it was like I'd be paralysed. My friends discovered me collapsed outside.
"I was put into a taxi and eventually got home where my partner discovered me. I felt hypothermic so he called an ambulance and paramedics immediately confirmed that I'd been spiked."
Ms Oakes was taken to hospital but said she was "left for hours" without a blood test, a "vital" opportunity which she claimed was missed, and eventually discharged herself.
Police were notified of the incident and she gave a statement over the phone about the incident, but her case was eventually dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Ms Oakes said the effects of the incident still impact her today and has only visited the venue where she was spiked once in the last two years.
She said: "I'm very conscious now about where I have a drink now. It's frightening because If I had been own that night the outcome could well have been different."
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Across England and Wales, police received 6,732 reports of spiking in the year ending April 2023.
CEO of The Talk About Trust Helena Conibear said tackling drink spiking in the region required a "joined up approach" to better support victims.
She said: "The police have made great strides since 2021 in training officers to be proactive in supporting victims, ensuring victims are tested, doing preventative work in towns and cities and among students and making it much easier to report spiking.
"The shocking lack of prosecutions though has to be addressed and improved drug testing should help with this.
"If victims come forward quicker and pubs and clubs help secure footage, ensure their staff are vigilant and observant and keep any drink that may have been spiked there should be zero tolerance among us all."
It comes after the Labour government announced it would introduce a new law making spiking a specific criminal offence in the King's Speech in a bid to protect victims.
In December, the Home Office said it would amend the Criminal Justice Bill and update the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 to make clear that spiking is illegal after mounting pressure.
Detective Inspector Harbour said there can often challenges in securing evidence in cases of drink spiking. (Image: Cambridgeshire Police) Detective Inspector Lindsay Harbour said the force took all reports of drink spiking "very seriously" and will bring prosecutions when it has evidence.
“We also want to prevent spiking and recently we launched a campaign to raise awareness – particularly among students - of how to protect yourself and what to do if you believe you’ve been spiked.
“The prosecution statistics are concerning, however, it’s important to note the challenges in securing evidence for a crime where victims often don’t know they’ve been targeted until sometime later."
Have you got a story you want to share? Get in touch at: oliver.murphy@newsquest.co.uk or newsdesk@elystandard.co.uk.
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