Watch your drink

11:12am Friday 29th February 2008

POLICE and doctors today urged victims of drink spiking to come forward and report their concerns within 24 hours, as four new suspected cases emerged in York.

A hairdresser has claimed she was drugged while on a night-out in York, another woman has told her GP she believed her drink was spiked and two other women have reported suspected cases on the social networking site Facebook.

At the same time, the North Yorkshire-based Roofie Foundation - Europe's only agency dealing with the issues surrounding drink spiking - claimed the phenomenon had increased by 150 per cent across England since the smoking ban came in last year.

It urged anyone going outside for a cigarette to finish their drink first, rather than return to a glass which might have been tampered with.

It said men should be on their guard as well as women, because 60 per cent of drug spiking led to robbery - most victims of which were men.

York GP Dr David Fair said today he had seen a patient just this week who thought their drink had been spiked.

He said: "It does seem to be an increasing problem. Five years ago, I didn't see any patients like this, but now I might see someone once every four months.

"There are about 60 doctors across York, so that's quite a lot of cases.

"It is a criminal act to spike somebody's drink and the police need to be aware of how widespread the problem is.

"That's why it is so important to report a suspected case to the police within 24 hours."

Dr Fair said most people made a recovery from the effects of the drug within two or three days, but other scars could last much longer.

He said: "If the victim has been sexually or physically assaulted while heavily sedated, they will suffer much longer term consequences - either in terms of infection or emotional trauma. It is very serious."

Two cases of spiking in York have been reported on a group called "Think Before You Drink," set up on Facebook by Miss York Naomi Smith to raise awareness of the growing problem.

Phoebe Harrison, from Glasgow, wrote: "I had my drink spiked too in York over Christmas. I was all right one minute, then ended up slumped in the loos of a bar having hit my head, completely unaware of what was going on."

Another message was posted by Sophie Calpin, of Queen Ethelburga's College, in York, who said one of her friends was drugged in a bar in York a few months ago.

Naomi, aged 19, from Copmanthorpe, was herself rushed to hospital earlier this month after she was drugged on a night-out in a bar.

Naomi said: "What happened to me was a horrible and very scary experience and I want to help prevent it happening to others.

"People have been raped and even murdered after having their drink spiked and I consider myself very lucky.

"Since I first spoke to The Press, quite a few people have come to me and said it's happened to me, or it's happened to my friend.

"I didn't realise it was happening to so many people, especially in York, which I thought was such a safe city."

Naomi has reported her case to North Yorkshire Police, but it is estimated that hundreds of drink-spiking incidents go unreported each year.

She said it was vital that all drinkers reported any suspected cases of drink-spiking to the police within 24 hours before the drug left their system. "If you don't, the police have no way of tackling the problem, because they will have no evidence."

Another woman recently told The Press her drink had been spiked while on a night-out in York.

My drink was spiked in York bar'

A HAIRDRESSER told today how she had been drugged while on a night-out in York with her boyfriend.

Sharon Cottrell, 36, of Boroughbridge Road, York, believes her drink was spiked, making her violently ill and leaving her with side-effects for a week afterwards.

She said she had had three small glasses of wine in three different bars on Saturday, February 9, before going to a fourth bar.

She said: "I was totally sober at that point. My boyfriend and I stood at the bar and I got my drink and went and sat down. I took one sip and said I'm going to be sick' so I went to the toilets and threw up.

"When I came out of the toilets I was drunk to the point where I couldn't even see.

"That was when Matt said I must have had my drink spiked because I'd just suddenly gone from being totally sober to really drunk.

"It was a strange feeling. I felt like I was really drunk but I couldn't see properly.

"We got a taxi home, but I don't remember being in the taxi. We got in and I was sick all over the floor. I was constantly being sick, I couldn't even control it. Then I just passed out on the bed."

She said it took her a week to shake off the after-affects.

"I felt ill all week and I was constantly shattered," she said. "I had a terrible headache the next day. I felt like I'd been shot in the head.

"I got a cold sore on my lip because I was so run down. It took me a full week to recover.

"I still can't believe it. If I'd been on medication it could have killed me.

"It has really put me off going out in York.

"If I'd been out with my friends I don't know how I would have got home."

North Yorkshire Police offer tips on how to avoid having your drink spiked

NORTH Yorkshire Police said today that each case of suspected drink-spiking was treated differently, depending on the circumstances.

A spokeswoman urged people to come forward as soon as possible, but stressed they should still report it even if it was more than 24 hours afterwards. She said: "We will do a blood test, but traces of the drug usually remain in the blood for about 24 hours. It takes about two weeks to get the results.

"But it's important that people still report it, even if it happened more than 24 hours ago.

"We want people to enjoy their evenings out in safety and, while drink-spiking is very rare in York, there are precautions you can take."

Police have issued the following advice:

* Plan your night-out, ensuring someone knows where you'll be and when you'll be home.

* Never accept a drink from someone you don't know

* Never leave your drink unattended* Don't share or exchange drinks with anyone or consume left-overs* If you feel very drunk after only a few drinks - seek help.

* Keep an eye on your friends' drinks

* A bottle is harder to access than a glass, you can also keep the top covered with your thumb* Make use of any anti-spiking devices provided by the licensee* Report any suspected incidents to the police as soon as possible.