Melbourne socialite charged with drink spiking after allegedly lacing friend's vodka with MDMA at Mount Buller bar
Amy Tossoun, 34, appeared in Mansfield Magistrates' Court on Wednesday charged with spiking a friend's drink with MDMA at a Mount Buller ski resort bar in July 2025. CCTV footage allegedly captured Tossoun retrieving a bag of MDMA from her jacket, placing it in a drink, and swapping glasses so the laced drink reached the alleged victim, Melissa Jreissati, who was later hospitalised. A magistrate rejected a bid for diversion — which would have allowed Tossoun to avoid a criminal record — ruling the offending was too serious, and the matter will now proceed to a contested hearing.
Amy Tossoun, a Melbourne socialite from Brighton, faced Mansfield Magistrates' Court on Wednesday over charges of possessing an amphetamine and introducing a drug of dependence into the body of another person, stemming from an incident at the Kooroora Hotel on Mount Buller on July 26, 2025. Police prosecutor Sergeant Karen Knotley told the court that CCTV footage showed Tossoun retrieve a small bag of MDMA from her snow jacket at the bar, place the substance into a drink, mix it with a straw, and subsequently swap the glasses so the laced drink was given to the alleged victim. The alleged victim, Melissa Jreissati, noticed the drink tasted unusual, later felt extreme dizziness and heart palpitations, and was transported by ambulance to Mansfield District Hospital in the early hours of July 27, where she tested positive for MDMA. Both prosecution and defence supported a diversion application, with defence lawyer Michelle Button describing the incident as a case of poor judgment in a social setting and highlighting Tossoun's charitable work and lack of prior criminal history. However, Magistrate Amina Bhai refused diversion, stating the offending was serious because it removed the alleged victim's right to consent to consuming an illicit substance and left her unaware of what was happening to her body. Tossoun did not disclose to the alleged victim that she had spiked her drink until the following day, after the victim had already been treated by paramedics. The case will return to Mansfield Magistrates' Court in October for a three-day contested hearing involving six witnesses.
What's missing
It is not reported whether the alleged victim, Melissa Jreissati, has made any public statement about the outcome of the diversion hearing or her position on the forthcoming contested proceedings. The nature of any ongoing relationship between Tossoun and Jreissati following the incident is also unaddressed.
How coverage differed
Both outlets reported the core facts consistently and neutrally. The Sydney Morning Herald provided slightly more detail on the defence's character submissions and the magistrate's questioning of when Tossoun informed the victim, while ABC Australia gave more prominence to Tossoun's own account to police — that the spiking may have been unintentional due to a mix-up of drinks — a detail the Herald did not include.
What different sources said
- Sydney Morning HeraldCenter
Behind the glamour of a Mount Buller ski trip: How an allegedly spiked vodka led a socialite to court
- ABC AustraliaCenter
Socialite faces court over alleged drink spiking at Mt Buller
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