A Co Down teenager has issued a warning after being spiked with a needle in her thigh at a nightclub, which left her "erratic and hysterical".
Katy Stevenson, 19, who studies at Dundee University, believes she was jabbed with a needle while queuing with friends to get into Underground club on South Tay Street at around midnight on Tuesday, October 26.
She has no memory of her night beyond that point, but woke up the next morning to find a red puncture wound in the skin of her leg.
The area around the injection site was also badly bruised.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Katy, from Bangor, told how she thinks the needle pierced her skin through a pair of fabric shorts she had been wearing.
She said: “I was talking to friends, minding my own business, and that's the last thing I remember.
"I woke up in a panic and I knew right away I had been spiked - but I didn't know at that point it had been with a needle."
Katy, who went to Dundee to study accountancy in September, has no memory of the incident, and has had to rely on her peers to tell her what happened.
Her friends said that by the time she reached the head of the queue, she was behaving "erratically" and was refused entry as she had forgotten her ID.
Her friend Nicole managed to get Katy back to her flat, where she started experiencing mood swings, was “crying hysterically” and refused to go to bed.
When she woke up later in the morning, Katy was dripping in sweat and went to the Accident and Emergency at Ninewells Hospital where doctors confirmed the wound on her outer thigh was consistent with an injection.
Katy added: “My friends say I was crying hysterically for no reason, like someone had died, for two hours, and had two panic attacks.
"I couldn't remember my flatmates' names, or was giving them the wrong names, and injured myself falling about. My flatmates nearly called an ambulance."
Now Katy says clubs should consider introducing bouncers to monitor queues outside nightclubs, while admitting fears about enjoying a night out in the future.
She says: “This weekend coming is a big one for clubs with Halloween, but I honestly don't even know if I will go out at all.
"The fear is that now you're having to look out for yourself in queues, never mind being in a club itself.
"Us girls have been talking about it [spiking] and going out just isn't enjoyable anymore.
"You can protect yourself from having a drink spiked but what can you do if you're standing in a queue and someone has a needle?
"I was lucky that I was able to get away from the whole situation."
Katy has since shared her ordeal on social media in the hope of helping others avoid the same nightmare.
The post, which has since been shared over 1,500 times, reads: “Not one to normally post but feel it needs to be done.
“I have not written this post for sympathy, I just want to spread awareness and share my experience so someone else can recognise the signs."
Police have since confirmed they have launched a probe into Katy’s claims.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received report of a drug spiking incident at a premises on South Tay Street, Dundee which occurred just after midnight on Tuesday 26 October 21.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
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