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Presenter Kate McCann has spoken out about having her drink spiked by a “brazen” group of men who “didn’t care who saw” while on a night out with friends.

The 35-year-old political journalist and broadcaster tweeted about her experience, warning her followers that spiking was “scarily common”.

McCann wrote: “I had my drink spiked in a bar by a group of men so brazen they didn’t care who saw.

“A colleague spotted them, thought we’d be OK as I’d only had one sip but sadly it was enough. It was awful and I was lucky.

“Still don’t understand why they did it. It’s so scarily common.”

She went on to describe the powerful effects of being spiked.

“The one thing I would say about whether people get confused about just being too drunk is that being spiked feels nothing like being drunk – even really really drunk.

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“It’s a totally different and really horrid feeling which you know isn’t just alcohol. Like being out of your body.”

In response to a comment on her post, she shared her confusion over why she was targeted, saying: “It’s such a strange thing, I still can’t work out what they had to gain?

“I was in a big group and there was no way to isolate me really – I don’t understand the point. Perhaps best not to think too hard about it maybe.”

When another Twitter user questioned whether spiking was very prevalent, or just much talked about, McCann replied: “Anecdote definitely doesn’t match data – I think that’s a very good argument for more work to be done to figure out exactly how widespread it is.

“When I mentioned it to friends a number had similar experiences or knew people who had, so I think it’s just not openly discussed.”

‘It does matter’

McCann also said she had “so many worrying responses to this tweet”, directing anyone who had been the victim of spiking to share their own experiences via an investigation into spiking carried out by The Times, adding: “It does matter”.

Her post prompted many Twitter users to share their own stories of being targeted while on a night out.

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Drink spiking laws to be modernised

One wrote: “My husband had his spiked in his local pub. He had had a couple of drinks but when he seemed suddenly hammered and dropped two drinks on the trot (which he had never done in 20 years) his friends realised what had happened and got him home safe. Very lucky.”

McCann replied, saying: “That’s awful.”

Another wrote: “I took my staff out for drinks, we were aware of spiking and were drinking bottles of beer. I picked up one of the girls’ beers by mistake and lost 48 hours. Thankfully I lived close by and got home somehow. Dread to think what could have happened to one of the girls that night.”

McCann replied: “That’s so grim.”

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Love Island star on being spiked

Spiking is when someone puts drugs into another person’s drink or directly into their body without their knowledge or consent.

Victims of drink spiking are often targeted on a night out, at clubs, bars, parties, work events and festivals.

Tell-tale signs that your drink has been spiked can include loss of balance and co-ordination, confusion and hallucinations, inability to communicate and difficulty breathing.

‘Eleven percent of women have been spiked’

Last December, the government announced new steps it would be taking in a bid to crackdown on spiking, including more funding for drink spiking tests and mandatory training for door staff.

It also announced it would be amending an 1861 law, the Offences Against the Person Act – which relates to administering a poison with intent – to encompass spiking. It carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Spiking is currently covered by several different areas of legislation but there is no single dedicated offence under which to prosecute perpetrators.

It’s difficult to pin down exactly how common place the practice is, partly due to the small amount of spiking data available, and also due to the fact that not all victims will report an incident.

Police have only recently begun tracking spiking data, with the first report covering a period from 2022 to 2023 and recording 6,732 spiking incidents reported to the police.

Of those incidents, 4,643 were administered by drink, 957 by needle and the rest by unspecified means.

A nationally representative YouGov poll found 11% of women and 6% of men said they had been spiked.

Laura Farris, the Conservative MP for Newbury and under-secretary of state for victims and safeguarding, told The Sunday Times: “Spiking is now part of an MP’s weekly casework.

“People, mostly a parent of the victim, increasingly write to say this is an issue. It happens often.”

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Child sexual abuse victims ‘denied justice’ after compensation scheme scrapped over cost

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Child sexual abuse victims 'denied justice' after compensation scheme scrapped over cost

Sky News can reveal that the government has rowed back on a national compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse, despite it being promised under the previous Conservative administration.

Warning – this story contains references to sexual and physical abuse

A National Redress Scheme was one of 20 key recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), but a Home Office report reveals the government has scrapped it because of the cost.

Marie, who is 71, suffered alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at Greenfield House Convent in St Helens, Merseyside, between 1959 and 1962, and is still fighting for compensation.

Greenfield House Convent, where Marie says she was abused
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Greenfield House Convent, where Marie says she was abused

As soon as she arrived as a six-year-old, Marie says her hair was cut off, her name changed, and she experienced regular beatings from the nuns and students.

She claims a nun instigated the violence, including when Marie was held down so that her legs were “spread-eagled” as she was sexually abused with a coat hanger.

Merseyside Police investigated claims of abuse at the convent, but in 2016, a suspect died before charges could be brought.

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Marie has received an apology from the Catholic body that ran the home; she tried to sue them, but her claim was rejected because it was filed too long after the alleged abuse.

Marie is still fighting for compensation for the abuse she suffered
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Marie, 71, is still fighting for compensation for the abuse she says she suffered as a child

In February, ministers said the law would change for victims of sexual abuse trying to sue institutions for damages, which was a recommendation from the IICSA.

Previously, people had to make a civil claim before they were 21, unless the victim could prove a fair trial could proceed despite the time lapse.

Campaigners argued for the time limit to be removed as, on average, victims wait 26 years to come forward. Changes to the 1980 Limitation Act could lead to more people making claims.

Peter Garsden, President of The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers
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Peter Garsden, President of The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers

Civil cases ‘can take three to five years’

But Peter Garsden, president of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, worries that when it comes to historical abuse where the defendant is dead, institutions will still argue that it is impossible to have a fair trial and will fight to have the case thrown out of court.

Mr Garsden said it takes “between three and five years” for a civil case to get to trial.

He warned that claimants “can end up losing if you go through that process. Whereas the Redress Scheme would be quicker, much more straightforward, and much more likely to give justice to the victims”.

Victim awarded £10 compensation

Jimbo, who was a victim of abuse at St Aidan’s children’s home in Cheshire, took his case to the High Court twice and the Court of Appeal three times, but, after 13 years, all he ended up with was £10 for his bus fare to court.

Despite the Lord Justice of Appeal saying he believed that the abuse had occurred, Jimbo lost his claim because of the time limit for child sexual abuse claims to be made.

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Neither Marie nor Jimbo is likely to benefit from the removal of the time limit for personal injury claims, which is why Mr Garsden is calling on the government to implement a National Redress Scheme for victims of sexual abuse, as recommended by the IICSA.

Hundreds of millions paid to victims

The governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have set up compensation schemes and paid hundreds of millions of pounds to victims.

In 2023, the then Conservative government said a similar scheme would be organised for England and Wales.

But the Home Office admitted in its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse: Progress Update that it “is not currently taking forward any further steps on the IICSA proposal for a separate, national financial redress scheme for all survivors of child sexual abuse”.

“In the current fiscal environment, this recommendation is very difficult to take forward,” it added.

For victims, the scheme was the last chance of compensation for a lifetime blighted by abuse.

“The money is about justice and about all the other people who have had to suffer this abuse,” Marie said.

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Five men arrested in connection with suspected terrorist plot

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Five men arrested in connection with suspected terrorist plot

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of the preparation of a terrorist act, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Counter-terror officers arrested the five men, four of whom are Iranian nationals, on Saturday, with all currently in police custody.

The Met said the arrests related to a “suspected plot to target a specific premises”.

In an update shortly after midnight, the force said: “Officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant advice and support, but for operational reasons, we are not able to provide further information at this time.”

It added officers were carrying out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas in connection with the investigation.

It said those detained were:

• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Swindon area
• A 46-year-old man arrested in west London
• A 29-year-old man arrested in the Stockport area
• A 40-year-old man arrested in the Rochdale area
• A man whose age was not confirmed arrested in the Manchester area.

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Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated.

“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.

“We understand the public may be concerned and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.

“We are working closely with local officers in the areas where we have made arrests today and I’d like to thank police colleagues around the country for their ongoing support.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

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Fourteen children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after industrial fire in Gateshead

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Fourteen children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after industrial fire in Gateshead

Fourteen children aged between 11 and 14 years old have been arrested after a boy died in a fire at an industrial site.

Northumbria Police said the group – 11 boys and three girls – were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the incident in Gateshead on Friday. They remain in police custody.

Officers were called to reports of a fire near Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area shortly after 8pm.

Emergency services attended, and the fire was extinguished a short time later.

Police then issued an appeal for a missing boy, Layton Carr, who was believed to be in the area at the time of the fire.

In a statement, the force said that “sadly, following searches, a body believed to be that of 14-year-old Layton Carr was located deceased inside the building”.

Layton’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, police added.

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Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins, of Northumbria Police, also said: “This is an extremely tragic incident where a boy has sadly lost his life.”

She added that the force’s “thoughts are with Layton’s family as they begin to attempt to process the loss of their loved one”, and asked that their privacy be respected.

A cordon remains in place at the site of the incident.

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