A mum has been left with a brain injury after a suspected spiking incident at a bottomless brunch in Gloucestershire.
Simone White, 43, has now said she hopes spiking is made to be a specific criminal offence and taken ‘seriously’ after her ordeal in May, which saw her collapse after brunch with friends.
The mum-of-three struggled with stuttered speech and walking and was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) – which she believes was triggered by the spiking.
Her symptoms have improved slightly, but become more severe when she is scared or remembers the night of her ordeal.
Simone came forward ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with police chiefs, hospitality bosses and transport leaders today to coordinate action against spiking.
Simone, a self-employed cleaner, from Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire, said: ‘It needs to be made a specific offence. And there need to be more protocols around it.’
‘There is more to be done. I’m still suffering the long-term consequences. It’s hard knowing the person who did this to me is still out there living their life and I’m still struggling with a disability,’ she said.
Speaking to This Morning on Monday, the Prime Minister said: ‘Many people don’t want to come forward, they feel embarrassed.”
He said that perpetrators of spiking ‘might go on to commit sexual offences’ and that ‘very many people don’t want to come forward to say what has happened to them’.
‘That’s part of why we want to make it a specific offence, part of why we want to raise awareness about it and put the support mechanisms in place,’ he added.
Metro is being supported by several charities and organisations in our bid to raise awareness of violence against women.
Women's Aid, the formal partner of This Is Not Right, is the UK's national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children.
Randip Thompson, Director of Income Generation and Engagement at Women's Aid, says: 'Women’s Aid is proud to be supporting Metro’s This is Not Right Campaign. There is currently an epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in this country, which society needs to come together and actively challenge if we are to overcome it and protect women from abuse.
'The media has a pivotal role to play in ending VAWG, through spreading awareness of this gender-based abuse and empowering the public to take action against it. Campaigns like This Is Not Right are invaluable for positively changing narratives around abuse and ensuring that survivors feel validated and supported.'
Refuge, the UK's largest domestic abuse organisation, works to support thousands of women and their children overcome the impacts of abuse.
Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge, says: 'Despite the horrific scale of VAWG that we are witnessing, this devastating, systemic issue is still not talked about enough.
'Refuge will be supporting Metro on the launch of their new awareness-raising campaign as we continue on our mission to actively challenge harmful and pervasive societal attitudes around VAWG, recognising that how media write about and report on these crimes and the social issue of misogyny impacts us all.
'We must all stand together against VAWG and domestic abuse, and we look forward to working with Metro to shift perceptions and show survivors that support is out there.'
White Ribbon is the UK's leading charity engaging men and boys to understand their role in ending violence against women and girls.
Anthea Sully, CEO of White Ribbon UK, says: 'As the global symbol for ending violence against women and girls, it’s important that the White Ribbon is visible and raises awareness of the importance of preventing violence against women and girls across society.
'The work that Metro has committed to doing in paying close attention to the way they report violence against women and girls is really important, and contributes to a shift in understanding about the responsibility every single person, especially men and boys, have in creating a world where women and girls can live free from the fear of and of violence.
'By positively engaging male readers, we can provide space where they can better understand the prevalence and impact of gender-based violence on women and girls and learn strategies to become allies.'
EVAW is a coalition of more than 160 feminist organisations and experts from across the UK, working to end violence against women and girls in all forms.
Deniz Uğur, Deputy Director of EVAW, says: 'Media reporting has a huge influence on attitudes about violence against women and girls, which in turn influences behaviours and shapes access to justice and support. It’s crucial that reporting reflects the scale of gender-based violence, connects individual women’s stories to the systems that enable this abuse, identifies the root causes of male violence and treats our stories sensitively and with dignity.
'By informing the public, reshaping narratives, holding institutions and perpetrators to account and highlighting support services available to victims and survivors, Metro's campaign can play a powerful role in ending and preventing violence against women and girls.
'This is a pivotal moment for change – women and girls deserve better.'
Killed Women is an organisation and network for the bereaved families of women who were killed by men, who work to protect women's lives and ensure justice.
Julie Devey, Chair and Co-Founder of Killed Women, says: 'We at Killed Women value the support and reporting of issues surrounding Violence Against Women and Girls by Metro.
'As a campaigning network of bereaved families we have a deep understanding of the suffering of victims and co victims in this area of crime and misuse of power by men.
'Everyone has a role to play in bringing about change to create better and safer communities for women. This is not a feminist issue, this is a societal issue and one which demands that men play their part too. Men and boys need to be on board with creating a tidal change in the way women and girls are viewed and only then will we begin to embark on becoming a safer country. Talking about VAWG issues and challenging one another openly is how Metro can help bring this problem to light.'
Founded by singer-songwriter and activist Annie Lennox, The Circle is a global feminist organisation committed to standing in solidarity and action with women facing violence and injustice across the world.
Raakhi Shah, CEO of The Circle, says: 'The relentless epidemic of violence against women is abhorrent and we, at The Circle, are working tirelessly with our grassroots partners and changemaker activists to address this injustice. We are delighted to support Metro’s This is Not Right Campaign, which seeks to shine a spotlight on the issue of violence against women and show how we can all contribute, through collective and individual actions to bring about real meaningful change.
'Joining together in solidarity with campaigns like this, can and we hope will, make a difference to the lives of women and girls here in the UK and worldwide.'
Woman's Trust is a mental health charity providing free counselling and therapy for women who have experienced domestic abuse.
Heidi Riedel, CEO of Woman's Trust charity, says: 'The time for a national conversation about the escalating level and multifaceted impact of violence against women and girls is long overdue.
'For too long, the violence and abuse has been treated either as individual incidents or as a criminal justice problem. This has left women with a system they don't trust.
'Set up by a group of domestic abuse survivors and counsellors who realised there was nothing to address the emotional and psychological trauma caused by domestic abuse, Woman's Trust has supported tens of thousands of female survivors over the last three decades or so.'
'It's our hope that This Is Not Right will encourage bold conversations at national, policy, local and community level. The survivors of abuse and the women and girls of the UK deserve better.'
Simone realised something was ‘seriously wrong’ when she went out for fresh air on May 4, 2024, while out for bottomless brunch.
After trying to find her eldest son, 18 – who was in town – Simone collapsed on the street.
Strangers were able to call her parents and partner, George Milis, 53, and they took her to A&E.
Simone said: ‘I was very agitated. I had no control of my body at all. I was having episodes of consciousness an unconsciousness. When I was conscious I was gurning, throwing things, going rigid and scratching and clawing. They believe I was having seizures. If I had fallen in the river – it wouldn’t have been here today.’
Simone had her bloods taken and was discharged the next day – but after struggling to speak and walk, she was diagnosed with FND.
She’s now able to walk and talk, but cannot work and still gets flare ups.
The mum has also been told she has a potential heart problem – which she believes was exacerbated or caused by being spiked.
Simone has already been petitioning for designated safe spaces to be installed to report spiking and test for drugs in their system.
She is hopeful for today’s conversation with the PM, police bosses and hospitality.
Spiking currently comes under assault, or part of the Offences Against the Person Act, but the government has pledged to make it a specific offence.
Simone said: ‘For CCTV it should be compulsory for it to be of a standard where you can see what is going on. A specific offence will mean there are more protocols around spiking for the police and the NHS.’
Avon and Somerset Police are investigating Simone’s incident, but she feels it is unlikely she will find out who did this to her – or what she was spiked with.
She said: ‘I felt massively let down by the police and hospital – not the people but the system. It’s a lack of ability to deal with spiking.
‘It feels like they didn’t take it seriously. Ideally it needs a lot more awareness. A lot of the time it’s so easy to spike someone. If you’re putting drugs into someone else’s body – you’re taking away someone’s right to their own freedom.
‘Everyone knows someone spiked.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
