Additional reporting by Katie Heslop

“They don't care if they drug us, they don't care if they inject us with things.”

Lillian Quinton and friend Gina Mullaney, both 21, stand yards away from a packed pub in Canterbury, their passion and anger over spiking becoming stronger each second.

They spoke after exclusive figures KentOnline obtained through Freedom of Information requests revealed just one offender was caught after more than 1,000 reported spiking incidents since 2018.

Today’s culture of fear among women on nights out cannot only be blamed on those responsible for tampering with drinks, according to Lillian, but the potential dangers are much more systemic.

The insidious nature of spiking events in pubs and clubs is no secret. A YouGov poll revealed 10% of women say they were targeted - an issue still very raw for Lillian.

“Clubs are being lenient on security, they don’t look hard enough. That's why people are still getting in and getting away with it,” she explained.

“People aren't getting put away for it, they're able to use needles on multiple people, spreading whatever they've got on that needle to other people and just putting other people's lives in danger.

“It's just ridiculous at this point - they're not doing enough.

“You go into clubs nowadays and it feels like you're being watched and judged.

“It’s like being watched in a zoo to see who's the weakest link to go attack, like a predator-prey situation.”

Asked how the lack of convictions makes them feel, they said in unison: “P***ed off.”

They spoke out when my colleague Katie and I headed to Canterbury city centre on a Friday night to gauge how vulnerable women feel.

It painted a grim picture of how safe women feel – particularly in the presence of men.

All the women we spoke to feared having their drink, or a friend’s, spiked.

The thought of needles being used rendered some speechless, the idea beyond thinkable – both out of hope and terror.

Of course, spiking isn’t a new phenomenon – it is just the methods and drugs used have become more sophisticated.

In a village hall one weekend evening 25 years ago, Laverne* [not her real name] told how she stood drinking a Malibu and Coke, debating what time she should head home, with work the next day.

At just 18 years old, she would become the victim of a suspected spiking by a perpetrator she knew, but never sought police action.

“It was a friend of mine, they thought it’d be funny,” she said.

“I was lucky enough that my parents knew someone that could come pick me up and it was okay but I wasn't fine for three weeks after that.

“You’re not in control. Even at college, I remember sitting there thinking, that's not normal.

“We've all got the same stories and it's not even just spiking, it's a story about abuse.”

A common theme throughout the night is vitriol towards a system “dominated by men”, which has allowed these situations to manifest, with little chance or effort to provide genuine protection or reassurance.

Rohypnol, or ‘Roofie’, and Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, known as ‘GHB’, are the most commonly known 'date-rape' drugs.

Both can be used to commit physical and sexual assaults as they can sedate or incapacitate a victim, making them more vulnerable.

The substances dissipate quickly making them tricky to detect in a person’s bloodstream, and police bosses admit there is a reliance on CCTV or independent witnesses.

This can often fail to provide enough proof to arrest or charge a suspect, and is the same case for incidents involving needles.

As Lillian said, the proactivity of nightclubs and bars can often be a factor which affects the confidence of women entering those establishments.

One victim of spiking, Olivia Calvert, told KentOnline in 2021 that venues needed to take more responsibility after bouncers "kicked her out for being drunk".

Distinctive Bars, which runs the Canterbury’s Club Chemistry and Tokyo Tea Rooms, said it had adopted an “unprecedented increase in measures to prevent spiking and related secondary crimes”.

“Spiking, defined as the non-consensual administration of substances to an individual, has been a longstanding concern in social settings,” a spokesperson said.

“We all continue to put immense effort into ensuring the safety and well-being of our guests. The urban myth that venues ‘don’t care’ simply is not accurate.

“Our customers are our lifeblood and we very, very much care about their welfare. Our business depends upon them feeling safe, having a great time and coming back to us. People simply wouldn’t come to us otherwise.

“Moreover, we interact with all our guests throughout our events and ensure they know to alert us immediately if they feel unwell, uncomfortable, or scared for any reason.

“We have a raft of processes that automatically kick into place to protect and care for that individual. If there is any suspicion or even just a slight concern around a potential spiking, staff immediately call the police.”

They claimed in a recent survey 97% of 246 customers said they feel safe while in those venues.

Spiking is, of course, not just a Canterbury problem – its prevalence is rising throughout the county.

In 2018, Kent Police received 87 reports of spiking, then four fewer the following year.

In 2020, the figure went down to just 59, owing largely to lockdown during the Covid pandemic, although one report of spiking via needle was made.

Since then, there has been a sshift.

In the years following, there were 192, 329 and 285 reports respectively. 115 of those were allegedly carried out via needles.

During this period just one suspect was charged and there was a single conviction although, while not every incident is reported, true numbers will never be known.

While out in Canterbury, it became apparent not all women were spiked by strangers, some had their drink spiked by friends with none-sexual intentions.

Maddie Richardson, a student, says spiking has been on her radar a lot more within the past two years but hopes regular dialogue with mates can help them all avoid a nasty situation.

The 19-year-old told KentOnline: “I've heard about it more frequently, I’m hearing about it through the news, and from friends of friends.

“I think [spiking] does make it trickier to try and convince one another that it's all going to be okay by the end of an evening.

“We definitely do talk about it a bit in the way that we know about it, so we just stick together.”

Multiple businesses in the county have taken up new tactics in a bid to control the situation.

This includes providing drink covers and "spikeys" for bottles, a kind of stopper, alongside extensive CCTV coverage and the "Ask Angela" policy for discreet reporting of discomfort.

It is a national scheme that helps anyone who is feeling vulnerable on a night out to get the support they need.

Authorities stress while preventative measures are crucial, the primary focus should remain on those responsible for this crime by educating, identifying and apprehending perpetrators.

Kent Police’s head of prevention, chief superintendent Shaun White, told KentOnline: “We take all reports of drink and needle spiking very seriously and carry out full and thorough investigations into every incident we are informed about based on the evidence available.

“Officers from our dedicated Community Safety Units continue to work closely with night-time venues across Kent to make them hostile places for those who may seek to exploit others, and to ensure members of staff recognise the signs of spiking and other criminal behaviour that might take place.

“High visibility patrols, as well as officers in plain clothes, also regularly patrol popular night-time locations to provide reassurance, respond to incidents and disrupt any inappropriate behaviour.

“We encourage visitors to pubs, clubs and bars to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to security staff in the first instance, to ensure immediate action can be taken and everyone can continue to socialise safely.”