Prosecutor Tim Clark KC hailed the swift actions of Annabel’s staff after they noticed “rather strange actions” by Nath on 15 January 2024.
“(They) watched Mr Nath put a straw into (her) drink, sticking his finger over the top”, he said.
Nath had a small bottle in his hand, and used the straw to “suck up liquid” before dropping the contents into the woman’s drink.
The woman, who had left the table, was intercepted by staff before she returned to Nath and was told what was unfolding.
She felt “betrayed” by Nath, she told the trial, but had initially defended him when staff warned that they believed her drink had been spiked.
“I remember vividly defending Mr Nath, saying ‘There is no way he could do that”‘, she said.
“I remember sending him a message saying ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s happening’. Because I felt it was my fault. I didn’t want him in trouble, I didn’t believe it.”