After nightclub bouncers attempted to take her insulin pen, a woman with type 1 diabetes hurled at them. There are increasing reports about injection spiking.
Staff were carrying out routine bag searches on the woman who was visiting Brighton’s Coalition Club when they discovered that her insulin and blood test kit had been taken.
Despite always carrying her insulin pens and kit, which contains her blood glucose monitor, testing strips and a lancet which is used to prick her fingertip, she was told all medication was being confiscated on entry following the rise in injection spiking cases.
This comes following a spate of women who claimed they had been injected with drugs and/or their drinks spiked.
After being threatened by bouncers, a woman with type 1 diabetes blasted Brighton’s Coalition club (Pictured), for trying to take her insulin pen. There are increasing reports about injection spiking.
Four women claimed that they were poisoned by injectables and had to be hospitalized after being on different nights over Halloween weekend. Over the last two months, nearly 200 incidents of drink-spiking have been reported by police across the UK.
The woman spoke out about her experience and said that she was informed that staff would try to get insulin back to her in less than 40 seconds if she came in with insulin needs.
‘I tried to explain that it was dangerous for me not to have it but they just kept saying to me that if I entered, it would need to be confiscated.
“In a noisy nightclub, it is impossible to ensure that my medication will be available in less than a few seconds.
“It was suggested to me that insulin pen are used for spiking. But in all my years of being a diabetic, I’ve never been refused entry because I own an insulin pen.
Since the needle spiking started, I have been going to clubs every night and my medication has never been taken from me.
A woman visiting Brighton on holiday said that she felt “dismissed” and was being discriminated against.
The Pier Group owns the Coalition bar on the beachfront. A spokesperson for the company said that they are currently asking customers with needle-related medical supplies to hand over their items ‘voluntarily.
The club will apologise to all staff who were too zealous in following the policy, he said.
He stated that it was a voluntary initiative and not an entry requirement. Around 10-15 individuals have given us the equipment to keep safe while they were in club between Monday and Wednesday.
“We believe that we have received two refusals, and in this case, they were allowed entry.
“We have spoken with our front desk staff. If the customer was made feel like handing over her device was an entry condition or was treated unfairly, we will apologise without reservation – that was not our intent.
“Under no circumstances could we be so careless or inconsiderate that to try to ‘confiscate” anything of such nature.