A prominent restaurant owner was caught in the act of spiking a woman’s drink with a date-rape substance at the upscale private club Annabel’s, as detailed in court. The accused, Vikas Nath, 63, allegedly used a straw to introduce gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) into the woman’s spicy margarita while at the rooftop bar of the Mayfair establishment. Witnesses at Annabel’s observed Nath drawing liquid from a small bottle of Madagascan vanilla extract concealed in his pocket using the straw before adding it to the cocktail.
Efficiently, the staff replaced the tampered drink with a fresh one before the woman consumed it, while Nath disposed of the GBL bottle in a toilet cistern upon sensing police presence. Nath, known for owning renowned restaurants in the UK and Spain, including two with Michelin stars, confessed to spiking the drink but claimed it was to help the woman relax, not with the intent of sexual assault.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Nath had a motion sensor-activated camera in his Knightsbridge home bedroom, which he had used previously to discreetly record intimate activities. Prosecutors mentioned exchanges between Nath and a friend before the incident on January 15, 2024, indicating his desire for sexual relations with the woman and his frustration at the delay.
The court heard that Nath had been invited by the woman, a regular club member, to Annabel’s, where they visited the rooftop bar and ordered drinks. While the woman briefly left to show friends around the club, staff observed Nath engaging in suspicious behavior with the drinks at the table in her absence.
The staff witnessed Nath inserting a straw into the woman’s drink while covering the top with his finger, using a small hidden bottle to transfer liquid into the cocktail. Alerted by the staff’s observations, club managers reviewed the CCTV footage and warned the woman of the potential drink tampering.
Upon the woman’s return to the table, a bar employee switched the spiked drink with a fresh one before the police arrived. Nath, realizing he had been discovered, disposed of the incriminating bottle in a toilet cistern, where it was later recovered with traces of GBL. Additionally, police found two GBL bottles at Nath’s residence, who claimed he acquired the substance as a cleaning agent and used it for relaxation purposes.
Nath attributed his actions to a mental health crisis following his divorce and claimed ignorance regarding GBL’s legal status. He mentioned discarding the vanilla extract bottle due to concerns about club disapproval. Text messages between Nath and a friend hinted at his intentions and impatience for sexual encounters, as disclosed in court.
The prosecutor emphasized Nath’s impatience and intentions, suggesting that the evidence points to his desire for recorded sexual activity at his residence. Nath denies the charges of attempting to administer a substance with intent and possession of a Class B drug. The trial is ongoing.