He is a father aged 48 who weighs in at 22 stone and has shared his story of three collapses on the street after he was allegedly given an injection while celebrating the birthday of a friend.
Craig Campbell fell asleep on the streets three times last month in Newcastle after consuming four to five pints. Despite having 16 beers, it took him sixteen beer.
A dad from Darlington in County Durham was celebrating 50 years of his friend’s birthday when he realized that after collapsing, he had both a bruised and punctured stomach, and also a large hole in his shirt.
This comes following a spike in injection cases. Nearly 300 were reported in the UK over the past two months.
Campbell warned ‘this can happen to anyone’, adding, ‘there’s going to be a young person thinking they’re going to have a good night and they won’t come home, and that makes me sick to my stomach.’
Craig Campbell, age 48, told how he fell in the street 3 times when he had been injected with a spiked injection while celebrating his friend’s birthday.
While out celebrating the 50th birthday of a friend in Newcastle, Mr Campbell noticed that his stomach had developed a bruise.
A puncture mark was also noted by the Darlington dad from County Durham. He had worn the shirt in the exact same place as the bruise.
Campbell owns a van conversion company and called the hospital right away after realizing he’d been spiked.
A course of antibiotics was administered to him as precaution. Now he must wait for three months before he is able get an HIV and HEPB test.
Northumbria Police said they are investigating the matter. Campbell was advised to not reveal exact details of the suspected spike, however it occurred in a bustling city center bar.
Campbell said that: This would be something you wouldn’t think could happen to someone such as me. I had drunk four to five pints Guinness (which is around four percent). I usually drink 16 pints of Guinness to feel drunk. It is impossible to imagine me crashing due to that much alcohol.
It is not usually young men who are targeted that you hear about, but rather those in their 40s. This group must be aware that it will eventually lead to the death of someone.
He continued, “I’m 6ft1inch.” She would have died if the drug was injected in a girl seven to eight stone. The fact that the drug has been administered to me is something I might never learn about, and it’s extremely distressing.
“A man in his 30s who looked like he had just come out of his basement bumped into me while I was dancing. Although I wasn’t thinking much, I felt a little bit sick and couldn’t recall anything for 20 minutes. It was 7:15pm.
“Apparently, I fell again on Grey Street in the city center and I was helped by two other people which I can’t remember. It was, according to my wife, the most horrible night of her life. She claimed she believed she would lose all. I was hospitalized for five consecutive days.
As soon as Mr Campbell realized he was being spiked, he called the hospital. Northumbria Police confirmed that they were looking into the matter
Mr Campbell realised after collapsing he had a bruise and puncture mark on his stomach and a hole in the shirt he had been wearing in exactly the same spot
There has been an increase in reports of spike cases to police over the past few months. As a result, bars and nightclubs were boycotted. Demonstrations also took place in more than 40 universities across the UK.
In October’s Girls Night In, men and women stayed home from bars and clubs in Manchester Nottingham and Bristol because they wanted better safety precautions.
Although concerns about needle spiking were raised first in October, opinions differ on whether needles could be widely being used to replace drink spiking.
Spiking victims report feeling pinched in their arms from clubs, and then developing bruises. This led to fears that they were being assaulted by needles.
Jason Harwin (Deputy Chief Constable), National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Drugs, stated that police continue to partner with clubs and pubs to improve searches and provide guidance to staff.
Manchester was the scene of a protest by a large group of people in October. They wanted to call on venues to be more protective against spikes.
Campbell said that he had been thinking about what happened for a week and was still pondering it. When I was last Saturday out, I ran into someone and had an awful reaction. It caused me to panic, which was when I realized how it affected my life.
“I was embarrassed to tell eight people. My friend suggested that I record a video in which I speak about the matter. This was what I did, and it is now on Facebook.
“I have received some amazing feedback and messages from dads, thanking me for my efforts.
I was contacted by ‘Mums of daughters who are in hospital. It’s a source of peace for many, they say. So, that’s why I decided to tell my story so others can see what could happen.
“I am not trying to intimidate anyone, or prevent people from getting out,” because those who stick needles into people are the ones that win. The goal is to spread awareness.
Northumbria Police spokesperson said that they received the following report: “We are able to confirm that we have received an anonymous report from a gentleman who was concerned that he had been given an injection during a Newcastle night on November 6.”
“An investigation was launched into the incident and inquiries are continuing.
“We police nighttime and have officers assigned to patrol the area to safeguard the vulnerable and to target those who are looking for offences.
“We work together with our licensees and partners to make sure the city is safe for night-time entertainment. We encourage anyone with questions to contact us immediately.