Woman, 26, spiked by needle while waiting to be served at bar on hen do
A WOMAN found a needle mark after feeling "something sharp go into my shoulder" while waiting to be served at the bar during a hen do.
Horrified Rebecca Derbyshire, 26, credits her quick-acting pal for helping her when she started feeling "sick and drowsy" in Liverpool in yet another suspected injection spiking attack.
The landscape designer, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, told the that she recalled feeling a "really unusual sensation" while on a night out.
Derbyshire said she believed she was targeted when her pal had momentarily stepped away from the bar, "making me more vulnerable" as most of the party had already left the venue, "but thankfully we stuck together".
They had been partying at the Rubber Soul bar in Liverpool on September 25 when she noticed something "sharp" go into her shoulder, and told her friend "I think I've just been injected".
Fearing she would vomit, the drowsy Derbyshire was helped to her hotel, where she felt "fuzzy, confused, quite shook up, and dizzy".
When the pals sought medical help, doctors tested her for HIV and hepatitis - and told her she was lucky as the sicko who allegedly injected her missed her blood stream.
She said: “The doctors think it was probably muscle relaxants which could have temporarily paralysed me, but we will never really know until we find out who did it.
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“Afterwards I thought I was being paranoid and going mad, and I tried to put it to the back of my mind.
“I think there was an assumption it was just students, but my story shows anyone considered to be an easy target can be attacked.”
The doctors think it was probably muscle relaxants which could have temporarily paralysed me.
Rebecca Derbyshire
She reported the alleged injection assault to police after seeing reports of similar needle attacks, and said that it was shocking to "think about what could have happened if my friend hadn't been there".
The Sun Online has contacted Rubber Soul bar for a comment.
More than 20 allegations of injection attacks have been reported to cops over the past two months, alongside 198 allegations of drink-spiking.
The National Police Chiefs' Council said that most reports were from young women in English regions, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, after victims had attended licensed premises and private parties.
Nottinghamshire police have received 14 reports so far in October from people who were spiked by sharp objects.
Two men, aged 18 and 19, arrested in connection with drink-spiking claims in Nottingham were later released.
Reports of a spate of spiking incidents against women, some involving the use of needles, have spread through social media in the past week, prompting police investigations across the UK.
Scotland's Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, said: "It is the perpetrators - the men, because let's be honest it is men perpetrating this - that we need to get through to and if necessary take action against."
He told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show that the focus should be on "taking action" against men who spike women's drinks, as opposed to punishing venues.
Yousaf said cops were taking the incidents "incredibly, incredibly seriously".
He added: "My view is that the night-time industry are very, very concerned and are doing everything they possibly can.
"I don't think we want to beat the night-time industry over the head because of this issue."
'NO MEMORY' AFTER JAB
Jo Cox-Brown, founder of Night Time Economy, told the Mirror that anti drink spiking training had been provided across Nottingham venues on Friday.
"Spiking" is when alcohol or drugs are added to someone’s drink without their knowledge.
It's illegal and the maximum sentence, if found guilty, is 10 years in prison. If a robbery or sexual assault has taken place, the sentence will be even higher.
The Sun has recently reported a string of terrifying attacks with mystery liquids.
University of Nottingham student, Zara Owen, 19, said that she "couldn't remember anything - I had no memory of the night at all" after allegedly being jabbed in her leg at Pryzm nightclub on October 11.
A spokesman for Pryzm Nottingham said: “We take all allegations of his nature seriously.
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"We urge anyone who sees suspicious behaviour, or suspects they have been a victim of spiking, to seek assistance immediately from a member of staff or security, who are trained to help and who also have the support of our onsite medic.
"We would also encourage them to contact police, so that any allegation can be properly investigated.”
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, where you call 999 and press ‘55’ if you can’t safely speak.
- Always keep some money or a bank card on you, including change in case you need a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to move towards an exit if you are inside the house and get your phone in case you need to call for help.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other potential weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom.
Women’s Aid provides a - available every day from 10am-6pm or email [email protected]
SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.