07/07/2010

Warning Follows 'Drink Spike' Robbery

London police are appealing for information and advising members of the public, and particularly those from the gay community, to be diligent when accepting drinks from strangers.

They said that after a man had his drink spiked he had personal property stolen.

It happened on Saturday, 5 June at approximately 3am, when a 46-year-old man left a gay-friendly venue on Charing Cross Road.

He was walking in Shaftsbury Avenue when a male suspect approached and befriended him.

The suspect was said to be "flirty and tactile" and walked with the victim, subsequently accompanying him to a cash point machine.

The victim withdrew some money and the suspect is believed to have taken this opportunity to make a note of the victim's pin number.

The suspect was subsequently joined by a second male, who claimed to be a relative of his.

The second suspect produced a bottle of what he said was whiskey from his pocket and the suspects were insistent that the victim have a drink from the bottle. After drinking from the bottle, the victim became stupefied.

The victim woke up in a hotel in Ilford approximately ten hours later and discovered that while he had been drugged, his debit cards had been defrauded.

The suspects are believed to be Eastern European men, aged in their 20s.

Detective Constable Jim Morrison from Camden police said: "Whilst incidents such as this are rare, we advise members of the community to be very careful when accepting drinks from strangers and to be vigilant regarding their own purchased drinks.

"Anyone with information relating to these offences is urged to call Camden CID on 020 8733 5935 or Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111."

(BMcC/KMcA)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

19 May 2015
Calls To Lower Drink-Drive Limit In England
The Police Federation has said the drink-drive limit in England and Wales should be lowered. The organisation, which represents rank and file officers in England and Wales, wants the limit cut from 80 to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
24 April 2013
GSK Put Iconic Soft Drink Brands Up For Sale
In a move that could net £1bn, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have put Lucozade and Ribena up for sale. The popular soft drink brands date back to 1927 and 1938 and went on sale today (Wednesday). Chief executive of GSK, Sir Andrew Witty, said it hoped to sell the brands to a global drinks giant.
20 July 2007
Drink-drive campaign targets young male motorists
Young men are being targeted by a new £3 million anti-drink drive campaign, which has been launched by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly. The new campaign is called 'Moments of Doubt' and focuses on the social consequences of being caught drink driving, rather than previous shocking images of crashes.
01 December 2005
Christmas drink drive campaign launched
The government has launched this year’s Christmas drink drive campaign. This year’s advertising will focus on the fact that motorists cannot calculate their own drink drive limits and, therefore, should avoid alcohol altogether.
07 February 2005
Applications open for all-day drink licences
From Monday, pubs and clubs can start applying for the all-day drink licences that will be introduced later this year. Bars, clubs, pubs and off licences can apply for new alcohol and public entertainment licences and police and local residents will, for the first time, be able to challenge every new licence application.