A UNIVERSITY student has told how she was unable to walk after being spiked in a city centre nightclub.
The female student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she wants to share her experience to warn others of the dangerous effects spiking can have.
She said she attended Loft nightclub, on North Road, and was escorted out by bouncers “extremely drunk and unable to stand” on Saturday, October 16.
“The next morning I woke up with an aching arm and found a small puncture mark,” she said. “I have no memory of the evening at all.
“I was unable to walk and had to be driven home by a friend. If I wasn’t with my friends I would have had no idea what was going on.”
Read more: Nightclub boycotts and reports of date rape drug injections
It comes as dozens of women at universities around the UK have reported they were spiked with an injection during nights-out with friends, and later found pin prick marks on their legs and arms.
The Durham University student said she was aware of similar reports among students before the incident and admitted some of her friends are now scared to go out clubbing.
Despite this, many victims say they have not reported incidents.
She added: “I only realised the next morning having completely not remembered anything about the night before.”
The student said she wanted to share her experience to raise awareness, but criticised the university for a lack of support.
Student safety
Durham University said it put students safety first and is working with local authorities to tackle the issue.
A spokesman said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our students is our first priority.
“Students have reported concerns to us about drink spiking on nights out and we take this very seriously.
“We work with our partners, including the police, and student leaders to help our students stay safe and report incidents.
“This includes providing regular training to staff and student leaders on drug and alcohol awareness, delivered by external specialists.”
The university urged all students to contact the police after a suspected spiking incident.
Read more: Outrage after Durham University tells people 'don't get spiked' in now deleted-tweet
Report incidents to the police
Loft Durham did not comment further on the incident but said it had not received any reports of spiking at its venue.
A statement read: “We would like to reiterate that we take any such reports extremely, extremely seriously.
“We also understand that you come to Loft with an assumption that you will not be harmed on your night out.
“We will maintain an increased presence of security staff, male and female, inside and outside our venue, as well as mandatory use of body cam footage, so that you can enjoy your nights out with some peace of mind.
“Any reports will be escalated with immediacy to the relevant authorities and anyone suspected of attempting to spike anyone at our venue will be reported to the police.”
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