A university student says she was left in intensive care after she was spiked by a needle on a night out.
Mollie McCooey went to a Fab ‘N’ Halloween bash inside the Guild of Students at the University of Birmingham on October 30 with pals.
The final year languages undergraduate says she felt a “wave” come over her before her vision deteriorated and she started to feel sick.
Mollie told The Birmingham Tab : "I was at the Underground bar attempting to get my first drink of the evening, and after ten minutes of queuing, everything around me went into slow motion.
“The feeling was so intense, so I abandoned the queue and moved myself out of the way. After drinking such a negligible amount of alcohol and previously feeling almost sober, I could not work out what was happening or why.”
Mollie said she then found it difficult to see her phone screen in order to call an Uber home.
She said her legs then became jittery and her teeth "felt on edge" as she suffered a series of blackouts in the five-minute Uber ride and once she got home.
The next day, she says she saw a puncture wound on her arm and rang 111 and they told her to go to A&E where she had her blood taken and was given an ECG.
She was also given a Hepatitis B jab, but says she had a severe reaction to the injection - and said doctors said it was due to the "foreign bodies" in her blood from the alleged spiking.
Mollie was taken to intensive care as her blood pressure became dangerously low, and spent five hours in resuscitation being stabilised.
She added: “Had I not been spiked, I would have never suffered a reaction as serious as this.”
This is the second alleged spiking incident from the same event.
Amy Taylor said her legs started to shake and her eyes rolled to the back of her head before she went to the hospital.
The University of Birmingham’s Guild of Students told The Birmingham Tab: “We are aware of a number of incidents within our venue and have reached out to support those involved. We are also cooperating with police investigations.
“The Guild cannot comment on individual cases, to respect the privacy of students. We have implemented a number of enhanced measures to increase student safety which are set out in our recent statement and published on our website."
These new measures include increased bag searches, personal searches, use of metal detector wands, passive drug detector dogs and increased police presence.
It comes as police forces around the UK have received a growing number of reports of people being spiked in bars and nightclubs around the country, with some allegedly being targeted with needle injections.
The increase in reports and accounts has led to some institutions ramping up their efforts to keep patrons safe.
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Some pubs have installed led 'airport-style' security at the doors and others have scrapped 'ladies' night' over safety concerns.
The spiking reports also led to a national movement to boycott clubs, which was organised by university students.
West Midlands Police confirmed officers received reports of both spiking incidents.
In a statement, the force said: "These incidents have been reported to us and we’re investigating.
"We know that lots of people are posting about their experiences online and we’d continue to encourage them to contact us to let us know what’s happened – like these women have.
"We need this to get a better understanding of what is happening and see what we can do to prevent them and bring those responsible to justice.
"We are taking all reports seriously and would encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of spiking in any form to contact us via Live Chat at www.west-midlands.police.uk 8am – midnight, or call 101 anytime. To remain 100 per cent anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
"We continue to run perpetrator-focused operations, looking to identify suspicious behaviour and prevent a wide range of offences from happening. We’re working with door staff, venues and Street Wardens. If you’re out in the West Midlands and you see anything that concerns you – let someone know, or call us on 999.
"We want people to feel safe and be safe. We continue to work with bars to create safe spaces, and to carry out patrols focused on identifying suspicious behaviours that may lead us to take further steps. We're also working with support organisations and health care professionals who manage Safe Spaces during busy weekends across the West Midlands.
"Talk to Frank has information on spiking including how to stay safe and what to do if you think you’ve been spiked."
