Stoke-on-Trent woman ‘put off’ going on nights out after spiking

A woman has said she has been put off going to bars and clubs after she was spiked when she was on a night out.

Karena Shenton was at Yates in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, last Friday when she fell ill shortly after a man brushed past her and touched her thigh.

The 21-year-old believes a needle was used on her after a bruise appeared on the same spot on her leg the next day, after she recovered.

Staffordshire Police confirmed it was looking into the incident while the bar’s owner Stonegate Group said it was co-operating fully with the investigation.

Ms Shenton, from Stoke-on-Trent, said she was catching up with a high school friend after arriving at the bar at about 22:00 BST and only had one alcoholic drink all night.

She told BBC Radio Stoke the man brushed past her at about midnight and she started feeling ill about 20 minutes later.

“I had blurry vision – everything went a bit spotty,” she said. “Then my next symptom was dizziness. It happened really fast so I had to sit down.”

Ms Shenton added that it felt like she was going to pass out, and she was given water before being helped out of the bar by her friend and a security guard.

“My whole body was shaking, my hands were shaking,” she said. “My symptoms just started getting worse and I began feeling nauseous so I decided to go home.”

Despite not feeling a needle, Ms Shenton said the bruise left her in no doubt one was used on her and the incident was reported to police.

She added: “I’ve been out once in the past couple of months and this happened – it’s definitely put me off going out.”

Ms Shenton said she often wondered what the man’s motivation was behind the spiking.

She continued: “If my friend wasn’t with me, if she didn’t get me the water which kept me awake or if anything else went differently that night, it could have been a whole different story.”

Since the incident, Ms Shenton has been calling for further measures, including more training around spiking for bar staff at all venues as well as more stringent searches and checking of identification on the door.

Staffordshire Police said officers were investigating what happened to Ms Shenton and confirmed it had received reports of two other women being spiked at Yates on Saturday.

The force urged anyone who saw what happened or who has any information to get in touch.

A spokesperson for Stonegate, which owns Yates, said the firm was co-operating fully with police.

“The safety of our guests is our priority,” they added. “We are deeply concerned about the recent reported incidents and are supporting the police with their inquiries.”

Stonegate said its venues had a range of safety measures in place, including 24-hour CCTV, drink covers and bottle toppers.

The spokesperson said security and bar staff were trained in both welfare and vulnerability engagement and Ask Angela – a safety initiative where a customer can discreetly ask for help.

“We continually review these measures and encourage all guests to stay vigilant and report anything suspicious so we can maintain a safe environment for everyone,” they added.