"The last thing I remember was I was sitting on the sofa with my friend... I don't remember anything until I was in A&E."
Antonina Kosior is recalling the time she woke up in a hospital bed after an exclusive party in London. Feeling lost and confused, she burst into tears and had an anxiety attack.
"I didn't know what happened", she said. "I just woke up in this bed and I had to rely on my friend (and someone I don't know from the party) to tell me what happened."
Around seven o'clock, they said Antonina 'just collapsed' in the bathroom. Antonina believes she had been the victim of spiking.
“I had two seizures, I was foaming at the mouth and my eyes were rolling back", she said. "I swallowed my tongue and the girl that was in A&E with me, the one that wasn't my friend, actually took the tongue out of my throat to stop me from choking and put me in a recovery position.
“No one else knew what to do. Thankfully, she was there otherwise I don't know what would have happened and they said I was then vomiting and I was just unresponsive,” she said.
READ MORE: 'I don't have to cover my drink when I go out - why should women?'
The model says her experience has had a massively negative impact on her social life and has changed her mindset about being safe in social situations.
“It was just a horrific experience and definitely affected my social life in terms of wanting to see people because I thought I was in a safe place where I could put my drink down and nothing would happen to me", she explained.
“I shouldn't have to be worried about putting my drink down or having to bring a cover with me everywhere I go.
“I don't actually drink anymore because of that and I don't really go out to nightclubs or bars. If I do, I just get a soft drink. I feel it's just changed my mindset really.”
Antonina reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police, but she said she was told it would be closed to due a lack of evidence.
A Met Police spokesman told the M.E.N: "Police received a report from a woman alleging she had been the victim of spiking the previous day.
"Officers conducted further enquiries, including speaking to witnesses and trying to identify any relevant CCTV, but they were unable to find any evidence to support the allegation or the identification of a suspect.
"In the absence of any other viable lines of enquiry, the case was closed and the complainant informed of that decision."
Recent figures show that almost 5,000 incidents of spiking had been reported to police in the last year.
When she was Home Secretary, Priti Patel announced plans to make spiking a specific criminal offence. But it was announced recently that current Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, had scrapped the proposals, with the Home Office stating “there is no gap in the law a new spiking offence would fill."
However, many people such as Parklife boss Sacha Lord have been advocating to make spiking a specific offence as they believe it would be taken more seriously. The region's Night Time Economy Advisor has been meeting with government officials to try and do so, saying he will "not give up until I get the result that we need.”
Now Antonina has joined calls to make spiking a criminal offence. The 28-year-old says had a complete stranger not come to her rescue, she dreads to think what could have happened.
She said it is “mind-boggling” that spiking is not a specific criminal offence and she thinks it should be considered as assault occasioning actual bodily harm, given the damage it can cause to a victim's body and mental health.
“It's all well and good, people coming forward, but then what happens with that evidence, what are the police going to do to stop this from happening again and how much evidence is going to be enough?
“There has to be better communication between the police and hospitals. I think the police would also take it more seriously if there is a law saying spiking is a criminal offence, but because there isn't one, I don't think they take it as seriously,” she said.
She also said that she fears for younger girls going out as spiking isn’t just putting drugs such as GHB into drinks anymore.
“I do worry about sisters of friends who are at university and seeing how it's not just putting something in your drink, you could be injected with something and I just can't believe that is something that's happening right now and that someone would think, that's okay. It scares me.
“Intentionally causing physical harm, like ABH, is considered a criminal offence. Spiking can not only cause serious physical harm, but it can also have an active impact on mental health.
“It just begs the question, why spiking isn’t under ABH? There is an intent to harm, you don't spike someone for them to have a positive experience.
“There's a dark motive behind it. I feel like if spiking isn't made a criminal offence, it gives the green light to harm innocent people with no consequences and I think also it can be a gateway for further criminal offences, like sexual assault, rape, attempted murder,” she added.
When contacted about Antonina's experience with spiking, a spokesperson from the Home Office told the M.E.N.: "Spiking is an abhorrent crime which can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
“We recognise that there is more to do to ensure clarity around what spiking is to make sure that perpetrators are brought to justice for these crimes.
“That’s why we launched a targeted consultation to consider amending statutory licencing which could include explicit reference to spiking, including its definition, examples and signposts to resources."
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