Local TD Brendan Smith has called for a new law making the despicable act of drink spiking a more serious offence to be prioritised.
The Cavan-Monaghan TD said the proposed legislation going through the Oireachtas, which would introduce greater penalties for this dangerous behaviour, is urgently needed after official figures show a rise in drink spiking in recent years.
He also said he has been made aware of a number of cases anecdotally in his constituency in recent months.
Spiking is a crime under section 12 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, which provides offence of administering a substance capable of interfering with the victim's bodily functions, and where spiking is committed with intent to commit a further offence (such as sexual assault or theft), that further offence, or an attempt to commit it, may also be charged.
Deputy Smith says spiking is a sinister and dangerous act that can be devastating for victims. He says we need to make the laws strong to make it easier for victims to report and to raise greater awareness of this despicable behaviour.
