Spiking by injection: Student tells MPs of 'horrid ordeal' in Nottingham nightclub
Zara Owen says she's speaking to MPs to prevent anyone else from going through her "horrid ordeal"
A Nottingham University student has been telling MPs of her horror after she was spiked with drugs when out for a drink with her friends.
Zara Owen claims she was spiked with an injection in her leg in Prysm nightclub in Nottingham.
MPs were also told that reported cases either in drinks or with needles have doubled in the past twelve months - but very rarely is anyone prosecuted.
Ms Owen now says she wants much greater awareness of what can happen and is backing calls for spiking to be made a criminal offence.
Speaking to MPs Ms Owen said: "It's a scary thing to admit to have had done to you because when you go out you protect yourself, you cover your bottles, you check your drinks, you never leave them unattended."
"But the fact that someone has injected a narcotic into my body without me being aware is terrifying and when I go clubbing I have to keep aware of my surroundings and my friends surroundings to see if anyone is acting a little bit malicious or suspicious at all" she adds.
The 19-year-old, who is studying French and Spanish at the University of Nottingham, went out with friends on Monday, October 11.
She said she entered the nightclub on Lower Parliament Street and made her way to the bar - but that is the last thing she can remember before waking up in her bed the next day.
Ms Owen is among a number of people in Nottingham and across the UK who say they were spiked by injection.
The effects of spiking could vary depending on what you've been spiked with. Your symptoms might include:
Acting differently
Loss of balance
Visual problems
Confusion
Nausea
Vomiting
Unconsciousness
If you think you or your friend has been spiked:
Call an ambulance if their condition deteriorates
Tell a bar manager, bouncer or member of staff
Stay with them and keep talking to them
Don’t let them go home on their own
Don’t let them leave the venue with someone you don’t know or trust
If possible, try and prevent them drinking more alcohol as this could lead to more serious problems