Man relives horrific moment he realised he'd been raped after being spiked on night out before later testing positive for HIV - as he claims police told him 'but you're a bloke' when he reported attack

A man who was raped after having his drink spiked on a night out has claimed police told him 'but you're a bloke' when he reported the attack.

Stephen Hart today relived his horrific ordeal - which resulted in him later testing positive for HIV - as figures show as many as seven in ten youngsters have either experienced or witnessed spiking. 

Stephen, from London, who is now an ambassador for the charity Stamp Out Spiking, told Good Morning Britain how his drink was laced with rohypnol while out with a friend in 2006.

He lost consciousness and woke up to find himself covered in blood.

When he reported the attack to police, he was shocked to hear an officer respond dismissively: 'But you're a bloke.' 

Reports of drink spiking incidents continue to cast a shadow over nightlife in Britain, but a troubling trend is emerging - men are increasingly becoming victims of the insidious crime

One victim, who reported a harrowing sexual assault after his drink had being spiked is Stephen Hart - who detailed how he was not taken seriously by police following attack

Rohypnol is commonly used by predators to 'date rape' victims, as it is a benzodiazepine designed to treat insomnia, which in turn can cause extreme drowsiness or 'blackouts.'

Today, Stephen bravely detailed the night he fell victim to drink spiking and the subsequent sexual assault.

He explained how he had visited a bar in north London the night he was attacked, and, after his friend had left early to meet his girlfriend, stayed behind to finish his drink.

However, Stephen described how he suddenly felt dizzy and confused in the bar, knowing that he needed help but was unable to concisely speak.

He was then 'woken up by the sun shining' through the window at his flat the next morning.

He told GMB: 'I got up to get showered because I felt very shivery, I felt sick, I felt my head was really really fuzzy. 

'I had blood in my jeans - and I knew that something bad had happened. It turned out that I had been raped.'

Detailing his experience with the police while reporting the incident, Stephen said: 'One of them just kind of furrowed his brow and went: 'But, you're a bloke.''

After Stephen found out he contracted HIV, he was and is required to take Lamivudine, an antiretroviral medication that reduces the amount of HIV in the body

READ MORE: Broadcaster Kate McCann reveals taking sip of drink spiked by group of 'brazen' men left her unable to see or stand up straight 

Broadcaster Kate McCann  revealed that she was spiked in a bar on a night out

Stephen later found out he had contracted HIV, and he is now required to take Lamivudine, an antiretroviral medication that reduces the amount of HIV in the body.

Although it's been almost two decades since Stephen's assault, the person responsible for the attack has never been found. 

The government describes spiking as an 'insidious and predatory act' and is a crime punishable by up to 10 years behind bars - but, despite tough penalties and heightened awareness campaigns, it continues to affect a vast number of revellers. 

Spiking victims are often targeted in places like nightclubs, bars, house parties, work events and festivals.

Data on spiking doesn't truly reveal how common the practice is because so many victims do not report it to the police who have only recently started tracking the figures.

Between 2022 and 2023 the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) registered 6,732 spiking incidents reported to the police, 4,643 of which were administered by drink, 957 by needle and the remainder by unspecified means.

However, the true figures are thought to be a lot higher.

A YouGov poll revealed that 11 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men said they had been spiked.

A report by the Ladbible Group and Stamp Out Spiking suggests that seven in ten young people have either experienced it or witnessed it - however, most victims choose not to report it to the police. 

Confusion, hallucinations and suddenly acting paranoid are among the signs that a person's drink has been spiked

A YouGov poll revealed that 11 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men said they had been spiked

Laura Farris MP, Minister for Victims and Safeguarding said in a statement: 'We are modernising legislation. We are introducing a raft of wider measures, including update statutory guidance, to better support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

'We strongly encourage anyone who believes that they or someone around them that has been spiked to contact the police as soon as possible so that a urine sample can be taken for testing.'

It comes as celebrities, students and young people have shared terrifying experiences of having their drink spiked or being spiked by injection, as it was revealed there were 5,000 reports of incidents to police in the 12 months to November 2022.

In December the Home Office announced and set out a number of practical steps it is taking to protect people and crackdown on spikers.

This included staff at venues that attract spikers being given training on how to spot them and more investment in drink spiking tests.

In October a teacher called for better ID checks at nightclubs after she was spiked by injection causing her to collapse and vomit repeatedly.

Researchers, lawyers and activists say that the crime is severely under-reported and poorly investigated.

Victims are allegedly passed between departments and services for a few hours until the drugs have left their system and their is no evidence left.

Channel 4 sent an FoI request to all 43 of the UK's police forces asking for statistics on how many spiking incidents reported to them resulted in a charge.

39 of the forces handed over their figures which revealed that 0.25 per cent of spiking incidents reported to the police had resulted in a charge.