A MAN has been jailed after spiking a pub-goer's drink with the intention of sexually assaulting him.
Eamon Kelly, 57, of Bramber Court, Ealing, London, was sentenced to two years and four months' imprisonment at Harrow Crown Court on November 30.
Kelly had earlier pleaded guilty at Willesden Magistrates' Court to administering a substance with the intent to stupefy to allow sexual gain.
Intended to drug and assault victim
Police praised the victim's vigilance after he noticed his drink had been spiked.
"Kelly had gone to the pub that evening with the intention of drugging someone without their knowledge so he could sexually assault them," said Detective Constable Benazir Bhati.
"Thankfully the victim was vigilant and noticed the tablets and alerted staff, which meant officers were quickly able to get to the venue to arrest the suspect and carry out time-crucial enquiries."
Smiling oddly
The court heard that on Sunday, August 29, Kelly and his victim, a man in his 30s, were each drinking alone and separately at the same table in a pub on Ealing Broadway.
The victim noticed Kelly had been smiling at him in an odd manner throughout the evening.
When the victim finished his drink, he noticed two tablets at the bottom of his glass — one still whole and the other three quarters dissolved.
The victim confronted Kelly, who continued to smile and said nothing.
Noting the confrontation, staff initially asked the victim to leave the pub, however he was able to explain the situation.
Crushed pills
When the pub's CCTV was reviewed, Kelly could be seen removing something from his left arm jacket pocket and dropping it into the victim's glass.
Police were called and Kelly was arrested for administering a noxious substance.
Whilst being searched in custody, a small vial containing what appeared to be crushed tablets was found in a zip pocket in his left arm.
During his police interview, Kelly admitted that he had crushed the pills many years ago and put them away.
He claimed he found the pills — one Viagra tablet and one sleeping pill — the day before the incident and was curious about what would happen if he put them into someone's drink.
'Heinous crime'
"We take allegations of spiking extremely seriously and we will robustly target those who commit this heinous crime," said DC Bhati.
"We would encourage people who witness anything suspicious when they are out, or believes they have been spiked, to report it to bar staff or the police as soon as possible."
Kelly has also been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.
