'˜Spiked' in Spalding with a date rape drug?

The 19-year-old, who asked not to be named, says she started to feel ill on a night out in Spalding on Saturday, suffering temporary blindness, numbness in her hands and stiffness in her neck and back.

She didn’t go to hospital, has no proof ketamine was the substance used and hasn’t made a formal complaint to police, although she notified them and a police incident number was created.

But she says: “I was definitely, 100 per cent drugged.”

The woman says she had been in Bentleys, in New Road, and went outside into the Hall Place area after first feeling unwell and being sick in the loos.

She said: “I tried going outside and that made me 100 times worse. I got to the middle of the town and I couldn’t see anything. My hands felt numb and I sat on the floor screaming.

“My back and my neck went all stiff and I couldn’t look up.”

A group of men appeared and the young woman said: “My friend says they were around us and they tried telling my friend they were taking me home and they would look after me.

“My friend called her dad because I couldn’t move. I was in a state where I couldn’t walk and I couldn’t see.”

The friend’s dad collected them, and then the 19-year-old’s mum arrived to take care of her.

The young woman’s story emerged after a mum posted on social media that her son of 19 had his drink spiked with ketamine at Spalding’s Bounce Bar the night before, and “was hospitalised in a very serious state”.

A police spokesman told the Spalding Guardian: “We are aware of postings on social media regarding the alleged spiking of drinks.

“At this time, we have no medical evidence to support this, nor any formal complaint from any individual, but we would encourage anyone with information or concerns to contact us.”

Bosses at Bentleys and Bounce Bar say they adhere to strict policies to stop drug use on their premises.

Bentleys manager Linda Vanaga said she hadn’t heard of any alleged drugs spiking incident at the pub until the Spalding Guardian contacted her on Tuesday.

She said: “There’s no drugs allowed in here. We always check all of the bags, but that’s pretty much all we can do, and we have some things that we do to prevent them from using drugs in here.”

She said one prevention measure is clearing away unattended drinking glasses.

“If the drink is left on the table we collect it away,” she said. “There’s two girls on the floor that collect the drinks.”

The mum’s allegation about her son having his drink spiked at Bounce, in Westlode Street, saw bosses checking CCTV footage and ACTIVGroup director Matt Clark says in a statement “there appears to be no obvious opportunity for a spike to be placed into the complainant’s son’s drinks”.

Mr Clark told us: “I can confirm that concerns regarding a customer’s drink allegedly being spiked at the weekend, in Bounce Bar in Spalding, has been brought to our attention.

“Whilst this is thankfully a rare matter to deal with, it has fallen as our major priority to investigate.

“We have robust management practices that have proved successful for many years, and believe that our well-publicised, zero tolerance stance on drugs is very clear.

“At this time one complaint has been raised to us, from the mother of a customer. Subsequently we have saved all footage from the weekend, should it be required by police.

“However, as we understand it, no formal complaint has been made to the police, by any party, therefore no request for the CCTV has been made at this time.

“Whilst we cannot guarantee it, when reviewing the footage, which covers almost every movement of the customer, apart from when he enters the toilet on two occasions (where there is no CCTV), there appears to be no obvious opportunity for a spike to be placed into the complainant’s son’s drinks, nor does anyone approach the table outside of the group of friends whom he is socialising with.

“Several members of our management team and myself have spoken with the complainant, and have taken on board her concerns and thoughts.

“As we discussed with the complainant, we would recommend that any such concerns are raised with the police, as well as our management.

“We have a strong working relationship with the police and have a mutual goal in highlighting that the misuse of drugs will not be tolerated in our venues, or indeed our town.

“We will continue to work together vigilantly, to ensure that the safety of our customers remains paramount.”

The Spalding Guardian tried to contact the mother concerned without success.

What is ketamine?

The website www.talktofrank.com (Frank) describes ketamine as a powerful anaesthetic which stops you feeling pain and is used in operations on humans and animals.

Some sources link the drug to “transient blindness”.

Frank says the drug:

• reduces sensations in the body - with some people unable to move

• is linked to “near death” experiences

• can cause hallucinations, with some people ‘tripping’ for between half-an-hour and several hours

• can cause confusion, agitation, panic attacks and impair memory

Regular users develop serious bladder problems – sometimes the bladder must be surgically removed – and frequent use is linked to depression.

“Street” ketamine is normally a grainy, white powder – although it can come as tablets – and a gram usually costs around £20.