After her night out, a mother of three was said to have been ‘horribly sick’ and was unable move.
Hannah Cornwall (51), had just been with friends in Newquay when her drink got drank while she was at the bar.
Ms Cornwall found that she couldn’t move quickly and had to be escorted by her friends.
According to the mother, she didn’t think her daughter would be targeted and is now ‘petrified’ about her safety as well as that of her children.
This latest incident is part of an investigation by police into the UK’s “spiking epidemic” and a rise in women being drugged in nightclubs, bars, and late-night venues to inject drugs called ‘date-rape’.
Hannah Cornwall, 51 years old, became ‘horribly ill and incontinent’ after her drink was allegedly spiked during a night on the town
Ms Cornwall said that: “I can remember thinking back to my drink at the table, and wondering why I was so slow when my friends were finished with theirs.”
“After finishing my drink, I returned to my room and continued having an ordinary evening. But then, my friend stated that I spoke normally one moment and the next my head was on top of the table. I couldn’t even lift my head.
“My memory is quite random, but I can remember that my legs felt heavy.
“I said that I felt so ashamed and could not move.
Friends of Ms Cornwall said that she was later ‘horribly ill’. They called a taxi and took her home.
She added, “We thought I’d had too many. The next day, however,” she was talking with another friend.
“We were trying to understand it all, and she stated that she knew I could normally have more than three drinks.
“That was when she looked at me and stated that she believed I had been drugged. That’s when I realized that was what she had said.
“I was just 51 and I didn’t expect to be the subject of such a thing.
Ms Cornwall claimed that she wrote a Facebook message about it and was then ‘absolutely shocked’ to receive private messages from people telling her how they experienced the same.
She added: ‘I’ve always been the kind of mother that says they need to be careful and watch their drinks, so I have always been aware that it happens,’ she said.
Mother-of-three, who said that she did not believe she would be ever a target, is now left “petrified”.
Ms Cornwall was out with her friends at Newquay, Cornwall on November 5, when she was accused of having spiked her drink. Photo: Newquay Town Centre GV
“But I didn’t know it was so commonplace and the fact that drug peddlers don’t discriminate in who they use.”
“When I posted a Facebook post about the incident around 4 to 5 weeks ago, it was shocking to see how many private messages I received from people to tell me that they had also experienced it and to both men and women.
Ms Cornwall revealed she did not want to tell the bar about the incident or report it to the police because she felt ashamed about what happened.
The victim said that she felt “so dirty” the following day. She then felt self-doubtful, wondering if they had made this up. Although it sounds cliché, victims who feel dirty after what has happened can understand the feeling.
“I have so many friends who this has happened to, and they don’t go to the police.” I realize that this is an issue that police do not have the facts or figures to solve because they don’t know how to deal with it.
She said, “I don’t think anyone should be pressured to report it the police. But I encourage people to report anonymously to places such as the Woman’s Centre Cornwall.
“It happens to both men and women. Any anonymous reporting is essential because they can have more information to help them do more.
According to the mother-of-3, More needs to be done in order to stop drink-drugging at clubs Bars, and she’s now trying to find ways that she can combat the problem.
She said that staff should receive more education and training in clubs and bars. Staff must adopt a zero tolerance policy, where they encourage staff to alert them if they spot someone taking drugs.
“It doesn’t suffice to say that people should cover their drinks, or have their drinks checked at the bar. Because someone has been drugged knows nothing.
“You cannot taste it” and because you are too engrossed in the nightclubs, injections won’t feel like something. It’s too easy to place blame on victims.
Priti Patel (Home Secretary) demanded last month an urgent update by police regarding the extent of the UK’s “spiking epidemic”.
Commons Home Affairs Committee also asked police chiefs to provide urgent details on how they assessed the severity of the problem following reports of incidents occurring in various parts of the country including Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Online campaign has been joined by groups from over 30 UK universities calling for the boycotting of nightclubs. Campaigners are seeking “tangible” changes that will make them more safe, including covers/stoppers of drinks, improved training and stricter searches of the clubbers.
Manchester is the scene of hundreds of protests against drink-spiking cases.
An online petition to require nightclubs and bars to search all guests upon entry was launched last month. It has received more than 170,000 signatures.
A Nottingham student aged 19 said that she blacked out while clubbing and then woke up with a pin-prick wound in her back. A man was arrested by police on suspicion that he had administered a poisonous or noxious substance.
Nottingham 19-year old student, said she also felt throbbing in her hand and was taken to hospital. Her belief is that she was also targeted by a needle in her back.
West Midlands Police stated that they received one case in which the facts matched the description of an injection-spilled person. But the force says they don’t know what exactly happened, and that they continue to investigate.
Ilana Elbaz (20 years old) recalled that she had been ‘left semiparalysed on a staircase’ after returning from Bristol’s nightclub.
Police in Sussex arrested another man this month in connection to the attack.
Brighton’s 18-year-old man is among three who were arrested in connection to spiking with injections during the night and drinks at night.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council reported that there had been 198 cases of spiking across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in September and Oct. Additionally, 24 instances of injectables were reported.