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Offense

Mickey Finn

Acts Causing or Intending Harm to the Person

A Mickey Finn, or simply a Mickey, is American slang for a drink laced with an incapacitating agent, particularly chloral hydrate, given to a victim without consent to render them unconscious, colloquially called knockout drops. Serving someone a Mickey is commonly called slipping someone a mickey, and the practice of spiking drinks with sedatives has historically been used by sexual predators and murderers at drinking establishments.

Facts
Partially Attested
Classification Code
Sexual Offences Act 2003 section 61, administering a substance with intent (England and Wales) 2
Mickey Finn is American slang and the statute does not use the term; this is the closest England and Wales offence for intentionally administering a substance to another person
Typical Penalty
England and Wales: the offence of administering a substance with intent (Sexual Offences Act 2003 section 61) carries up to 10 years imprisonment on conviction on indictment 2
Mickey Finn is American slang and the statute does not use the term; this is the closest England and Wales offence for intentionally administering a substance to another person
Elements of Offense
Serving a drink laced with an incapacitating agent, known in American slang as a Mickey Finn or a Mickey 1
Notable Example
Chicago restaurant poisonings: on June 22, 1918 four people were arrested and over one hundred waiters were taken into custody 1
Classification
Offense Grade
Minor or Summary Offense 1
Connections

Has Offense Grade

Entity-backed identity for the offense-grade enum value this offense already carries, resolved to a crime concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The offense-grade fact itself stays on the offense unchanged.

Sources
1. Mickey Finn (drugs), Wikipedia
  • Introduction
    In American slang, a Mickey Finn, or a Mickey (often called a spiked drink), is a drink laced with
  • Chicago restaurant poisonings
    On June 22, 1918, four people were arrested, and over one hundred waiters were taken into custody over the apparent widespread practice of poisoning by waiters in Chicago.
View the Source
2. Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 61, Administering a substance with intent, legislation.gov.uk
  • Section 61, penalty provision
    on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years
  • Section 61(1)
    A person commits an offence if he intentionally administers a substance to, or causes a substance to be taken by, another person
View the Source
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