Restaurateur Accused of Drink Spiking Had Warned Woman Days Earlier, Court Hears
A prominent restaurateur accused of putting a date-rape drug in a woman's drink at the exclusive Annabel's private members' club in Mayfair had warned her about drink spiking just days before the alleged incident, a court has been told.
Allegations of Drink Tampering at Annabel's
Vikas Nath, 63, who owns a portfolio of high-end restaurants in the UK and Spain, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court. He is accused of using a straw to place gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) into the woman's spicy margarita while they were in the rooftop garden bar of Annabel's on January 15, 2024.
Nath denies attempting to administer a substance with intent and possession of a Class B drug. However, he admits to spiking the drink, claiming it was to "relax" the woman rather than as part of a plan to have sex with her.
Woman's Testimony of Betrayal and Warning
The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told jurors she felt "betrayed" by Nath. She testified that she had met him approximately six times before the incident, mostly for lunches at venues such as the five-star Beaverbrook Town House hotel and Nath's Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant, Benares.
After one of these meetings, the woman said Nath had warned her and a friend about drink spiking. "I recall him forewarning me and my friend about drinks being spiked," she told the court.
Text Messages and Strange Behaviour
The court heard that the woman and Nath had visited Annabel's on January 10, 2024, followed by a trip to "a really dodgy club" called Cirque Le Soir, where she noted "there were half-naked ladies there."
The next morning, the woman sent Nath a text saying, "I don't think I will be drinking today." Nath replied, "I think you should drink, but be aware of people around you. My biggest concern last night was someone spiking your drink."
The woman also described Nath's unusual habit of testing drinks with a straw during their meetings. "I always found it quite strange, he would put a little straw in to try it," she said. "He was affirming it was of high quality, he would test it with a straw and take a drink of it. I became acclimatised to seeing him doing it."
Incident at Annabel's and Staff Intervention
On January 15, staff at Annabel's observed Nath dipping a straw into a small Madagascan vanilla extract bottle he had taken from his pocket. He used the straw to suck up liquid before transferring it to the woman's margarita, jurors were told.
Alert staff managed to switch the drugged drink for a fresh one before the woman could consume it. When police were called, Nath allegedly threw the bottle of GBL into a toilet cistern.
The woman, an Annabel's member since age 18, said a staff member spoke to her before she returned to the table, advising, "They advised me that they were concerned that he put something in it."
Initial Disbelief and Emotional Response
Despite the warning, the alleged victim initially defended Nath. "I remember vividly defending Mr Nath, saying 'There is no way he could do that'," she testified. "I remember sending him a message saying 'I'm sorry, I don't know what's happening'. Because I felt it was my fault. I didn't want him in trouble, I didn't believe it."
Witness Statements and Forensic Evidence
Witness statements from several Annabel's staff members who saw the alleged spiking were read to the court. In a statement read by prosecutor Tim Clark KC, the club's head waitress said she watched Nath "put his straw into the drink so the liquid in the straw would have been released into the drink."
Forensic scientist Mark Tyler informed jurors that GBL is "linked to drug-facilitated crime" but can be used legitimately as an industrial cleaner.
Background of the Relationship
The woman said she met Nath while going through a divorce and "a bit of turmoil in my family," including a "very big falling out with my father." At their first meeting, Nath invited her for a drink and seemed "genuinely concerned about my welfare, where I was going to be living."
He gave her and a friend a bottle of Jo Malone perfume, saying "it is what his mother likes." The woman noted that Nath "always paid" for their lunches, describing him as "very generous." She added that she did not work and that their relationship was platonic, with no sexual advances. "He never spoke of anything of a sexual nature," she said, and they typically exchanged air kisses.
When asked by the defence if Nath knew about her boyfriend, the woman confirmed, "He was aware. I did not speak about him often, but he was aware."
The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court.
