Two nights out on the town ended in terror for a group of students who believe that their drinks were spiked and that one friend was injected with an unknown substance.
Rhianna Poots was enjoying a night out at a city centre bar on January 12 when three of her friends became seriously unwell.
The university student said that two of her friends, who had all been sharing the same drink in a Newcastle bar, started to be violently sick at the venue, with one even needing to be carried out by a bouncer.
Chronicle Live reports that Rhianna, aged 18, said: "When we got home their breathing was raspy and their eyes were dilated.
"They could all hear what I was saying to them but they couldn't make sense of it."
Rhianna said she took her friends to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead as they became increasingly unwell.
"I called an ambulance as my friend Sara Begic was especially bad," she said.
"Her breathing wasn't right, she was hyperventilating.
"She wasn't responding and going in and out of consciousness.
"They weren't any ambulances available but they said; 'you need to get her to hospital now.'
The three friends underwent tests to see whether they had been spiked and Rhianna said they are still waiting on the results of blood samples.
Sara Begic, 19, from Durham, believes her drink was spiked during the incident and is now worried about going out again following her ordeal.
The Northumbria University law student said: "It was horrible.
"The last thing I remember is sitting with my friends.
"I knew where I was but I just couldn't do anything.
"I couldn't move my body and the bouncer carried me out.
"I feel quite unsafe going out now."
But the group of friends said that this isn't the first time they have been spiked while on a night out in the city.
One of the students, who did not want to be named, said she was spiked by an injection in her leg on December 2.
She became ill later that night and went to hospital to be checked out the following morning.
"I felt like I had been possessed and my body felt freezing," she said.
"It was like I couldn’t physically stop myself from shaking it was probably the worst experience of my life.
"I don’t feel completely safe going back out again."
Rhianna said the friends reported the injection spiking incident to the police but believed that the venue had been unable to help officers because of its poor CCTV footage.
As a result, they decided not to report the second incident, which happened at the same venue.
However, the friends hope that sharing their story will encourage others to be vigilant when on a night out in the city.
"Just because people have stopped posting about spiking doesn't mean that it isn't still happening," Rhianna said.
Northumbria Police confirmed that an investigation is ongoing into the reported injection spiking incident and stressed that dedicated officers are on patrol to ensure the city remains a safe place for a night out.
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm we have received a report from a woman concerned she had been spiked with an injection while on a night out in Newcastle on December 2.
“An investigation has been launched and enquiries into this incident are ongoing.”
The force spokeswoman continued added: “We proactively police the night-time economy and as part of Operation Cloak, we have dedicated officers on patrol to protect those who could be vulnerable and target anyone looking to commit offences.
“We continue to work with our partners and licensees to ensure the city remains a safe place to enjoy a night out.
“Anyone with concerns is asked to get in touch with us as soon as possible.”
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