Michelin-Star Restaurant Boss Admits Drink Spiking in Exclusive Mayfair Club
A prominent Michelin-star restaurant owner has made an emotional admission in court, confessing to spiking a woman's drink with a date-rape drug at one of London's most exclusive private members' clubs. Vikas Nath, 63, told Southwark Crown Court through tears that his actions were 'wrong' and that he regretted them deeply, but maintained his intention was to reduce the woman's anxiety rather than to facilitate sexual assault.
Dramatic Courtroom Testimony Reveals Details of January Incident
During his testimony on Wednesday, Nath described how he used a straw to transfer gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) into the woman's spicy margarita while they sat in the rooftop garden bar of Annabel's in Mayfair on January 15, 2024. The restaurateur, who operates a portfolio of high-end establishments in both the UK and Spain including two with coveted Michelin stars, acknowledged administering the substance but insisted his motive was to 'relax' the woman.
Nath told jurors: 'What I did was wrong and I regret it very deeply. I intended for her to be less anxious and for her to calm down a little bit.' He specifically denied prosecutors' claims that he aimed to 'stupefy and overpower' the woman for sexual purposes, stating categorically that he wasn't thinking about sex during the incident.
Defendant Claims Substance Was Originally Purchased as Cleaning Fluid
The court heard that Nath had previously told police he originally purchased the substance around 2016 as a cleaning fluid for his BMW i8 sports car. According to his testimony, a friend had informed him that it could be consumed with alcohol as a 'relaxant', leading him to occasionally use it himself to heighten alcohol's effects. On the night in question, Nath admitted taking a 'swig' of the substance before entering the prestigious Annabel's club.
Nath described the woman as having been 'erratic' during their previous meetings, which included lunches at the five-star Beaverbrook Town House hotel and at his own Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant, Benares. He claimed he believed the substance would help calm her, though he acknowledged not knowing exactly what drug he was administering.
Alert Staff Prevented Consumption of Drugged Drink
Jurors heard that observant staff at Annabel's noticed Nath dipping a straw into a small Madagascan vanilla extract bottle he retrieved from his pocket, using it to transfer liquid into the woman's margarita. Quick-thinking employees managed to switch the contaminated drink for a fresh one before the woman could consume it. When police were called to the scene, Nath reportedly threw the bottle of GBL into a toilet cistern in an attempt to dispose of evidence.
The restaurateur, who resides in the affluent Knightsbridge area of west London, now faces serious charges including attempting to administer a substance with intent and possession of a Class B drug, both of which he denies. The trial continues as prosecutors challenge his version of events and question his true motivations for spiking the woman's drink at one of London's most exclusive social venues.
