Woman suffered brain injury after being spiked at a bottomless brunch

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.

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.’

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