Nottingham pub to hold weekly ‘girls only’ night after women reportedly spiked with needles
Pub in Nottingham will hold weekly ‘girls only’ night with all female staff after spate of reports of women being spiked with needles
A Nottingham pub said it will ban men on one day each week to protect womenIt comes after many reports of women being spiked by injection across the UKThe pub, near Nottingham Trent University will have the first night in NovemberAll staff working on the girls-only night will also be women to ensure their safety
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A pub in Nottingham said it will ban men for one night a week after reports of women being spiked by injection while out clubbing in the city.
The Playwright, which is near Nottingham Trent University’s city campus, will have its first girls-only night on November 3.
All the staff working that night will also only be women.
Josh Wheelhouse, the manager of the pub, told Nottinghamshire Live: ‘We are just very excited to do it.
The Playwright pub in Nottingham (pictured) will only admit girls for one night of the week from November 3. The weekly ban on men comes after multiple reports of women being spiked by injection across the city as well as the rest of the UK
‘I have already spoken to a couple of societies at Nottingham Trent University, and we will actually organise workshops to educate women on what to do in situations that would put them at risk.’
Mr Wheelhouse said he was initially unsure whether to introduce the ban on men because he was afraid people would see him as ‘the guy who is trying to make money out of this terrifying thing that happens to women’.
However, he said: ‘I needed to do something.
‘I do not think it is fair for women to stay home.
‘We should be the ones to do that.’
The pub manager said he was in discussions with other pubs who are considering similar bans.
In recent days a number of women have shared their experiences of being spiked.
Kirsty, who is from Swansea, was out enjoying a drink earlier this month when she was spiked with an unknown substance that left her unconscious. She said she was ‘very shaken’ and now ‘anxious’ to go out drinking again any time soon
Kirsty Howells, 25, shared a picture from her hospital bed after she was spiked – when victims are drugged without their knowledge – in Swansea one evening
Kirsty Howells, 25, was pictured unconscious in a hospital bed after being ‘injected with Ketamine’ amid a string of women reporting being ‘spiked’ by injection in nightclubs.
Miss Howells posted a photo taken in hospital following a night out in Swansea.
It was shared on Facebook by her aunt, who said Ms Howells is thought to have been ‘injected with ketamine’, before being rushed to A&E by her boyfriend.
AZara Owen, a 19-year-old university student, said she was also spiked, while out at Nottingham’s Pryzm nightclub on October 11 before waking up the next morning with a limp and a ‘pinprick’ on her leg.
Zara Owen said she woke up ‘with a limp’ before finding a ‘pinprick’ on her leg the morning after attending Nottingham’s Pryzm nightclub
The entrance to Nottingham’s Pryzm nightclub, where Ms Owen claims to have been spiked by a needle amid similar reports elsewhere in the UK
She recalled entering the venue with friends and made her way to the bar, but added that was the last thing she could remember before waking up in her bed the next day.
Ms Owen tweeted: ‘I woke up fine, no hangover or anything but a sharp agonising pain in my leg.
‘I told my mum and she thought it might’ve been a pulled muscle but then I realised I didn’t remember anything.
‘I had to go to campus and I realised I had a massive limp. If my memory was there I would’ve neglected this but this is a thing that never, ever happens to me and it really confused me.
‘I decided to go to hospital to get checked out but after eight hours of only having a triage and background info taken from me, I decided to go home.
Zara Owen said she found a pinprick on her leg the next day (pictured above). She said she had no hangover, but was suffering a sharp agonising pain in her leg
‘The next morning I felt my leg and examined it to a further extent as I didn’t get any help medically. I touched the part where I was in the most pain and I found a pinprick. I had been spiked.
‘I was in jeans. A needle went through thick denim straight into my leg.’
Stealth, another Nottingham nightclub, said it had also received reports of two women feeling unwell within the last fortnight as a result of being spiked.
One 19-year-old woman said she was targeted with a mystery liquid as she left the venue in on October 12.
Ellie Simpson said her sister felt a ‘pinch on the back of her arm’ before blacking out and being taken to hospital, where blood samples were taken.
The entrance to Stealth, another Nottingham nightclub, which says it also received reports of two women feeling unwell as a result of being spiked with needles
Ms Simpson, 21, added that she was ‘in shock’ and her sister had not been out clubbing since the incident took place.
She told the BBC: ‘Normally she’s the type of person that would stick up for herself, so I think if it could happen to her it could happen to somebody who is more vulnerable,
‘I don’t think it’s quite yet sunk in what’s happened to her.
‘It’s really frightening because I don’t know how you’re meant to prevent it.
Nottinghamshire Police has said a local male has been arrested, but did not state which incident this is in connection with
‘Obviously you can put your hand over your drink but how do you stop somebody stabbing you with a needle?’
A statement from Stealth said: ‘We, much like our customers, are concerned by the national news reports about spiking in bars and nightclubs around the UK, and believe it is absolutely unacceptable for women to have tp live in fear of being spiked on nights out.
‘Here at Stealth, in recent weeks two of our customers have reported feeling unwell and suspected they may have been spiked. Both were seen by our on site medic who made sure they were appropriately looked after, were able to safely leave the venue, and we are currently liaising with police to aid in their ongoing investigations.
‘Customer safety is our top priority and our aim is to create a safe environment for people to come together and enjoy a night out.’
Nottinghamshire Police said a local male has been bailed following a report of an incident in Lower Parliament Street on October 16.
The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A and class B and cause administer poison or noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve and annoy.
A police spokesperson said: ‘We are currently investigating reports of individuals suspecting that their drinks have been spiked.
‘Linked to this a small number of victims have said that they may have felt a scratching sensation as if someone may have spiked them physically. Consequently, we are actively investigating all these reports.
‘We have a dedicated group of officers currently carrying out CCTV enquires at various venues where we have received such reports.
‘Our enquiries into these incidents are ongoing but we understand people may be concerned about incidents like this and want to reassure the public we are working incredibly hard to investigate.’
The statement continued: ‘What we need is that if any person experiences such an incident whilst on a night out that they or their friends make contact with us immediately in order that we can investigate at the earliest opportunity and secure evidence quickly.’
Ilana El-baz (above), 20, said she was left semi-paralysed on the stairs after returning home from a Bristol nightclub and shared a recording showing her struggling to get up the stairs with her eyes rolling as her head falls into the railings
Meanwhile, Ilana El-baz, 20, recalled how she was ‘left semi-paralysed’ on a staircase after returning home from a Bristol nightclub three weeks ago.
Two teenagers, 18 and 19, were arrested ‘on suspicion of conspiracy to administer poison’ in Nottingham, while a 35-year-old man was last night arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs with intent to administer them at a nightclub in Lincoln.
Students are also planning to boycott nightclubs this week as part of nationwide protests, with more than 30 universities taking part in the campaign in a bid to force venues to increase safety measures.
Following reports of spiking by needles in Nottingham, a petition calling for it to be a ‘legal requirement’ for nightclubs to ‘thoroughly’ search customers upon arrival has been signed by more than 130,000 people.
The Girls’ Night In campaign will spread across 43 university towns and cities over the next fortnight. It comes in response to a reported rise in drinks being ‘spiked’ and a new alarming trend of girls being injected unknowingly with drugs.
Victims have become violently ill while out and only realised they had been injected when they found ‘pin prick’ marks on their bodies.
Those taking part in the boycott will stay at home on a designated night to raise awareness of the attacks and encourage venues to improve security.
According to the US National Center for Biotechnology Information Rohypnol and GHB are two of the most prominent ‘date rape’ drugs used by criminals.
According to the NCBI, with GHB, having as little as 2g of the drug – which is often a powder that can be mixed in an alcoholic drink – can result in deep sleep within minutes.
The half-life of the drug is 27 minutes and is almost impossible to detect after 96 hours.
Experts warn that Rohypnol is also a powerful sedative with legitimate uses as a pre-anaesthetic or a sleeping pill.
Used as a date rape drug, it can start affected a victim within ten minutes and reaches a peak some eight hours later.
It is colourless, odourless and tasteless and causes sedation or euphoria within 20 to 30 minutes of ingestion.
Figures have also emerged showing 15 per cent of females, seven per cent of males and 17 per cent of those identifying as other have had their drink spiked, according to a snap poll by The Alcohol Education Trust.
Helena Conibear, CEO of The Alcohol Education Trust, told MailOnline: ‘Up until now, we have had extensive verbal evidence of the level of drink spiking and where it is taking place as we work with young people day to day across the UK.
‘This snap poll of 750 young people confirms all the trends we have been listening to: the shocking fact that one in eight young women have experienced spiking, that it is happening as often at private parties as in the night time economy and that most people do not report spiking at the moment as they worry they will not be believed, are unsure exactly what happened or feel it was too late by the time they realised.’
She added: ‘As 50 per cent of cases where drink spiking was reported weren’t followed up, the lack of reporting is perhaps not surprising. If we are going to tackle drink spiking we ask everyone to please report it to the venue, police or go to A&E.
‘Try and keep the drink as evidence and ask for a blood or urine test. To anyone thinking it is a joke to spike someone’s drink, can we remind them that it is a serious criminal offence with up to a ten years prison sentence, not to mention the sometimes devastating effect it can have on victims’ lives.’
