Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Spiking) Bill 2023

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The bill would create a specific crime of spiking, covering cases where someone gives another person a substance by mouth, injection, or other means without their consent, or while being reckless about consent. It targets situations where the aim is to overpower or sedate the person in order to carry out a sexual act, cause harm, make money, cause a loss, or commit another offence. It also says a person could defend themselves if the substance was given for a lawful reason or with the other person’s clear, conscious consent. The proposal matters because it would give Gardaí and courts a clearer offence to use against spiking, which is often linked to drink, nightlife safety, and sexual violence.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to provide for the specific offence of spiking characterised by the administration, injection, or causation of the taking orally of a substance, knowing that the person to whom the substance is administered, injected, or caused to be taken does not consent, or being reckless as to whether the person consents, and where the perpetrator intends to overpower or sedate the person, to engage in a sexual act, cause harm, make a gain or cause a loss, or otherwise commit an offence.

Last updated 2 May 2025