Police investigating ‘suspected drink spiking’ after three girls fall ill at Manchester city centre nightclub

A police investigation has been launched after three girls fell ill at a Manchester city centre nightclub.

All three were taken to hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning.

It’s understood they had been at Ark on Deansgate Locks.

One of the girls, who asked not to be named, told the Manchester Evening News she suspects her vodka Red Bull was spiked with date rape drug GHB.

The 19-year-old said she started to feel unwell at about 1am on Saturday and went outside to get some air before collapsing.

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She said: “I’d had a few drinks but I felt in control, but then I just started feeling really dizzy.

“I said to my friend can we go out for some air. When I was outside I started to feel like I couldn’t move.

“I said ‘I think I’m going to faint’. I think she just thought I was drunk, but then I just dropped to the floor.



Police are investigating

“I don’t remember much after that apart from I remember being on the floor, I could hear my friend saying ‘I think she’s been spiked’, but I couldn’t move and it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I went in the ambulance but I started being sick.

“It felt like a dream because I was going in and out of consciousness.”

The girl said she was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where staff told her four other people were also in A&E that night showing similar symptoms.

She added: “I don’t know if they did blood tests, but they said they thought it was GHB and that we all had the same symptoms.

“It was just scary how easy it can happen. I feel lucky in a way that I was with my friend and that I wasn’t by myself because then anything could have happened.

“It was just horrible.”



“An investigation is underway. No arrests have been made.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Police received a report on Saturday, September 4, of a girl who had fallen unwell at a nightclub on Deansgate Locks.

“The girl, aged in her late teens, was taken to hospital but had since been discharged.

“Enquiries have since identified two further girls who had also fallen unwell at the nightclub and were both taken to hospital.

“An investigation is underway. No arrests have been made.”

Phil Burke, spokesperson for the Manchester Pub and Club Network, said: “We are aware of an number of alleged incidents of drink spiking in a venue in the city centre.

“We would urge people coming into the city centre to be careful with their drinks and not leave them unattended.”

A spokesperson for Ark Manchester said: “We take every allegation of drink spiking very seriously and will assist the police in their investigation.

“We operate a zero-tolerance policy in our venue and will continue to work closely with all local authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of our customers.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 4409 or 101 quoting incident 579 of 04/09/21 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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