A Knightsbridge restaurant owner of Indian origin is on trial after being caught attempting to spike a woman’s drink with a date-rape drug (Any drug that incapacitates a person and renders them vulnerable to sexual assault).
63-year-old Vikas Nath used a straw to put gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) into the woman’s spicy margarita while sitting with her on the rooftop garden bar at the exclusive Mayfair private members’ club Annabel’s.
Vikas owns a string of high-end restaurants in the UK and Spain, including two with Michelin stars, reports The London Standard.
Staff at Annabel’s noticed Nath dipping the straw into a small bottle of vanilla extract he had retrieved from his pocket, sucking up liquid, and putting it into the cocktail. The staff replaced the drink before the woman could drink it, and Nath threw the bottle into the toilet when police were called. Managers checked the CCTV and warned the woman that her drink might have been spiked.
Prosecuting the case, Tim Clark KC told jurors: "This case is unusual because there's no dispute Mr Nath spiked her drink. His acceptance is not surprising, he had little choice because the spiking was captured on CCTV at Annabel's. Due to the actions of quick-thinking staff, the spiked drink was retrieved, and she was warned. Staff replaced it with a fresh one, and police were called to the club."
Nath admits spiking the drink but claims it was to "relax" the woman.
One message read: "I'm at Annabel's. This is probably the last evening with (her). She ain't biting."
His friend replied: "Action time I hope."
Traces of the sleep-inducing drug were later found, and police discovered two more bottles under his sink at home. Nath claimed in police interviews that he obtained GBL as a cleaning fluid for a high-performance car and was told it could be drunk as a "relaxant." He said he disposed of the bottle because he believed the club would not approve.
