Spiked-drink victims must speak out early

DRINK-SPIKERS will get away with it unless victims report incidents quickly. The sister of a spiked-drink victim is praising a police campaign to highlight the problem.

But she is concerned that not enough cases are being highlighted.

'If people don't report it, the police can't do anything,' she said.

The victim, who is in her 30s, was found unconscious in the toilets of a nightclub after spending the early part of the evening with friends in a pub.

She was rushed to hospital, where doctors found that her drink had been spiked with GHB.

'I know the police must be finding it very hard. They're trying to piece evidence together. You rarely get evidence in these kinds of cases. They are probably just as frustrated as everybody else.'

Crime prevention officer Bernie English said that early reporting was essential.

'A lot of places have CCTV and it's only early notification that gives us the opportunity to use the evidence available.'

He said that tapes were often erased within 48 hours.

The victim's family did not report the incident until two days later.

Specsavers has warned all its staff to be careful when going out to pubs and clubs.

'We put an email round at the beginning of the party season,' said human resources and communications director Tim Moyles.

'We need to make sure our guys are safe.

'We had a team meeting and decided it was the right thing to do.'

Mr Moyles said that at this time of the year staff went to bars and clubs after office parties and they should always be vigilant.

The victim's sister said that often people did not realise their drinks had been spiked until it was too late.

'A lot of times, people go home and can't remember what happened. They wake up the next morning and they realise they didn't have that much to drink.'

She did not want anyone else to suffer in the same way that her sister had.

'I found my sister in a nightclub toilet,' she said.

'She was in a pile on the floor. She couldn't control her body - her eyes kept rolling.'

Initially, she thought her sister was drunk, but soon realised she was not.

Although the victim does not recall much of the evening she said that she felt that her body was shutting down.

'That's why her eyes were rolling,' said her sister. 'She was finding it difficult to breathe.'

The hospital told the women that the victim did not have a lot of alcohol in her blood and that the drug administered was GHB.

It acts as a relaxant, causing loss of muscle tone and reducing inhibitions.

When mixed with alcohol is can lead to respiratory problems, unconsciousness and even coma.

It is easy to put in a drink because as a powder it easily dissolves. In liquid form it is clear, odourless and tasteless.

The victim in this case had been taking strong painkillers for a medical complaint.

'The reaction from that and the GHB nearly killed her,' said her sister.

She said that she wanted the public to be aware of the problem because her sister was a working mother who had just gone out for a Christmas drink with a couple of friends.

They had been to one bar and one club.

When the victim arrived at the club, she was fine but just 20 minutes later, she had collapsed.

'I am keen to talk about this because it's such a scary thing,' she said.

'I have a daughter and I don't want it to happen to her.'

Police investigations into the incident are continuing.

if you think your drink has been spiked:

* Tell a trusted friend that you are feeling ill.

* Never accept help from someone you do not know well.

* Go somewhere safe and ask friends to take you home in a taxi.

* Never leave on your own.

* Report it to the police as soon as possible and insist on a blood and urine sample immediately.