Nottingham police has seen rise in spiking by injection in clubs

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Zara Owen has said she was spiked by a needle after she forgot an entire evening while at Pryzm nightclub on Lower Parliament Street. The 19-year-old University of Nottingham student said entering the club is the last thing she remembers before waking up the next day with severe pain in her leg. Nottinghamshire police are investigating the reports.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Ms Owen said: “As a young person who is at university, I’m hearing stories of people who have been to nightclubs and they have been injected.

“I have heard stories of someone having it through their hand or through their back.

“I’ve been aware of this post that’s been going around on Instagram stories of someone who had been injected in her back.

“It gave some indication that it did happen to me.”

Superintendent Kathryn Craner added: “It’s awful to hear of anyone who has been enjoying an evening in Nottingham city centre and then be a victim of crime.

“Over the last few months, we have seen an increase in reports where people believe that drugs may have been put in their drink when they’ve experienced a very different feeling to their normal reaction to alcohol.

“But we’ve also received a small number of reports where this has been associated with a pain or a mark on a part of their body or scratching sensation as though they have been physically spiked.”

Ms Owen, who did not have much to drink, recalled her own traumatic experience of being “spiked by needle”.

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She said: “I found a pin prick in my leg which was the epicenter of all pain, it made me unable to walk around.

“I have a full black out of memory. I don’t know from points A to B what happened.”

It comes as another nightclub, Stealth, said it had also received reports of two women feeling unwell, who suspected they may have been spiked.

A spokesperson for Pryzm Nottingham said: “We take all allegations of this nature seriously. The safety and welfare of our guests is our number one priority and we do everything we can to create a safe and fun night out.”

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A spokesperson for Stealth said: “It is absolutely unacceptable for women to have to live in fear of being spiked on nights out in venues across the UK. Here at Stealth, we have to date had two women who have reported feeling unwell and suspected they might have been spiked.

“Both were seen by our on site medic, and we are currently liaising with Police to aid in their investigations.”

“Anyone we suspect of spiking or coming into our venues with the intention to carry out spiking will be detained and the police informed.”

Superintendent Kathryn Craner, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are currently investigating reports of individuals suspecting that their drinks have been spiked.

“Linked to this a small number of victims have said that they may have felt a scratching sensation as if someone may have spiked them physically. Consequently, we are actively

investigating all these reports.”

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