Indian-origin UK restaurateur caught spiking drink, claims he meant to 'relax' her

A high-profile Indian-origin restaurateur has landed in serious trouble after being caught allegedly attempting to spike a woman’s drink at Annabel’s, an exclusive private members’ club in London’s Mayfair.

According to court proceedings, a waiter noticed the man using a straw to transfer liquid from a vanilla extract bottle into the woman’s margarita. The staff immediately intervened, replaced the drink before it could be consumed, and alerted the police.

The accused, Vikas Nath, 63, is now facing trial at Southwark Crown Court over the incident.

Nath, who manages restaurants in the UK and Spain and is associated with two Michelin stars, is facing charges of attempting to administer a substance with intent and possession of a Class B drug.

While Nath has pleaded not guilty to the charges, he has admitted to adding a substance to the woman’s drink, telling the court that his intention was to help her “relax” and not for any sexual purpose.

The court heard that Nath had installed a motion-activated camera in the bedroom of his Knightsbridge residence in London, recording and storing footage automatically. He admitted to having previously used the camera "covertly" to record sexual activity.

Prosecutor Tim Clark KC told the jury that, prior to the alleged spiking incident on January 15, 2024, Nath had exchanged messages with a friend in which he expressed a desire to have sex with the woman and said he was “frustrated” that this had not happened.

Staff at the venue later described witnessing what they called “rather strange actions” by Nath when he was left alone with the group’s drinks, the BBC reported.

Upon the woman’s invitation, Nath joined her at the rooftop bar. When the woman left the table to show her friends around, staff noticed Nath attempting to conceal the bottle and drip liquid into her drink. "His acceptance is not surprising; he had little choice because the spiking was captured on CCTV at Annabel's," Clark told the court, as reported by BBC.

“Prior to the police arriving, Mr Nath clearly worked out that he had been rumbled,” Clark said. Nath tried to dispose of the evidence by hiding the vanilla extract bottle in a toilet cistern shortly before police arrived. The bottle was subsequently recovered by officers and found to contain traces of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).

Further investigation at Nath’s home led to the discovery of two additional bottles of GBL under his sink, as presented to the jury. Clark emphasised the unusual behaviour of Nath and described how the incident unfolded in the club.

Nath told police during an interview that he had acquired the GBL for use as a cleaning fluid for a high-performance car, and said a friend had informed him it could be consumed with alcohol as a "relaxant". He also stated he had not realised it was illegal for him to possess GBL.

The trial highlighted Nath’s attempts to hide the incriminating evidence, with the court hearing, "He tried to hide the evidence of what he had done, going to the lavatory and throwing that little bottle into the cistern, and it was floating about when police recovered it."

The woman who invited Nath to Annabel's did not consume the tampered drink due to the vigilance of the staff.