The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A woman who “lost” four hours during a night out in Spalding fears her drink may have been spiked.
The 33-year-old, who has asked not to be named, is warning people to keep an extra eye on their drinks.
She said: “One minute I was fine and the next my friends were saying they’d never seen me in such a state.
“They put me in a taxi home and the next thing I remember is waking up in the morning on the bathroom floor in a pool of vomit. Although I was awake I couldn’t move – it was a feeling of paralysis.”
“There’s about four hours I can’t remember at all, which is really scary – anything could have happened to me. I feel I was very vulnerable while in that state and they someone was targeting me.
“I only had a couple of drinks and I know my limit. When I’m getting tipsy I stop because I don’t like feeling that way.
“I only left my drink unattended for a few minutes when I went to the toilet but that’s all it takes for someone to slip something into it.”
The woman originally put the episode down to a bad reaction but started to worry when her partner pointed out two other people on social media claiming they had been drugged in Spalding on the same night.
She added: “I rang my doctor but it was too late to do a blood test. I spoke to the police but as the other cases hadn’t been reported I was told there was nothing they could do.
“It’s really worrying that there are people out there doing this kind of thing.
“I want to warn people not to leave their drinks, even for a few minutes, because you don’t know who’s watching.”
John Newton, owner of Bentleys Bar said they operate a zero tolerance policy on drugs.
He said: “We are possibly one of the few bars in town that has security on the doors on both a Friday and Saturday night.
“We check all customers and about 80 per cent of handbags on entry and also request that all outdoor coats and hats are removed.
“We have staff collecting glasses regularly throughout the night and a CCTV monitoring system which covers the whole premises at all times.
“We do all we can to prevent incidents like this happening and customer safety is always a priority.”
Matt Clark, company director of the ActivGroup, which owns Bounce and Loaded, said: “Our business is reliant on the delivery of quality entertainment and unique experiences for our guests, and safety is a key part in achieving this.
“Thankfully reports of spiking are extremely rare across our estate. As with any misuse of drugs, we hold a zero tolerance approach.
“We treat all reports as a priority and thoroughly investigate, handing any evidence, including CCTV recording and statements by our team, to the police on request.
“We are always clear in our wishes to achieve the toughest punishment.”
