Posted by Five women in Kildare ‘spiked on night out’ and rushed to hospital
4 hrs ago
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kate.dempseyThis isn’t a usual kind of post for me and definitely not the easiest thing to explain/post about, but I think it’s so important I get this message out.
On Saturday the 12th of March, I was in McGowans/Apollo in Newbridge, I got there about 9:30pm, I had three vodkas, and from 11:30pm, I have no memory at all. I have no recollection of anything that happened between 11:30pm and 5am. I ended up in Naas Hospital at approx. 5:45am because I had been having seizures since approx 3:25am, my entire body was having fits during this time, my eyes were rolling to the back of my head, my heart rate was sky rocketing, I was hyperventilating which lead to me loosing consciousness on and off. Around the last 30/45 minutes of this reaction I was fully aware of what was happening to me/who was around/what people were saying, but I had no control over my body, I wasn’t able to stop any of this, I wasn’t able to speak, I let out a cry here and there but that was all I could manage. As soon as I arrived to Naas Hospital, the paramedics started to describe my symptoms, and were very briefly asked “Did she come from Swifts/Apollo?” I was the fifth girl brought in that night. FIVE girls, in ONE night, from ONE nightclub. This is not okay.
They ran tests, and they came out clear, they didn’t test me any further, I was sent home. The doctors and nurses believed myself and all the other girls that were brought in on Saturday night were spiked too. I had no idea what I had been given the night before, I had no idea how long the side effects would last. It’s Wednesday, only today have I stopped feeling weak, and sick in my stomach, but I am both mentally and physically drained from this experience. I am 20 years of age and unsure when I will ever want to go out again, because of what this person has decided to do. This isn’t fair, us women/girls should be allowed to go out and enjoy ourselves just as much as anyone else without being terrified. This isn’t fair on us five girls it’s happened to who have to live with the physical and mental side effects of this. I haven’t had a full night sleep since Saturday and I think of what happened all day everyday.Edited · 1 w- ailbhecreanlynchSo strong for speaking out, absolutely awful world we have to live in. My heart really goes out to you and everyone who’s experienced this and I thank you for sharing your story 🤍🤍🤍Reply
- danielbarniiIk you shouldn’t have to but you should check out checkyourdrink.co.uk they sell spike tests for 10 euro or so. Got some for my sister a while ago. The owners daughter was spiked and he wanted to make affordable tests in hopes this wouldn’t happen as muchReply
- laurarafter9So sorry this happened, glad nothing worse happened to you ❤️❤️❤️Reply
- katie_21_lsMy friend showed this to me and it broke my heart. Well done for speaking out your so brave and so sorry this happened to you and the others. 💔Reply
- tarraghbrady_Cannot believe that this is what todays world has come too… coming from a girl the same age as you and the fear we have to live with just to go out and have a nights craic with the people we enjoy being around… this is not fair we shouldn’t have to live like this 😠 send my love to you and your family and I wish you all the best in your recovery 🤍Reply
- forever_glam_beauty❤️❤️Reply
- safegigsirelandThank you for speaking out…. This must stop… ❤️Reply
- _laurencolvinstay strong beautiful ❤️Reply
- samuelbamSounds like you were spiked with GHBReply
- lisadee6766Hey news reporter here from the Liffey Champion. We’d love to do a feature on your ordeal as a warning to others. my telephone is 01 6245533 and email is lisadeeney@liffeychampion.net please do get in touch, kind regards Lisa DeeneyReply
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Five women were allegedly ‘spiked on a night out’ in Kildare and rushed to hospital, with one of the women suffering a seizure.
Kate Dempsey was shocked to discover four other women in the hospital who appeared to be suffering from the same condition as her after attending a venue in Newbridge on March 12.
Admitting in an honest Instagram post that this is ‘definitely not the easiest thing to explain/post about’, Ms Dempsey believes it’s ‘important’ to get her story out.
After having three drinks on a Saturday night out with her friends, the evening quickly became a blur to Ms Dempsey who detailed the intensity of her seizures after being taken to Naas Hospital.
‘I got there about 9:30pm, I had three vodkas, and from 11:30pm, I have no memory at all. I have no recollection of anything that happened between 11:30pm and 5am.
‘I ended up in Naas Hospital at approx. 5:45am because I had been having seizures since approx 3:25am, my entire body was having fits during this time, my eyes were rolling to the back of my head, my heart rate was sky rocketing, I was hyperventilating which lead to me loosing consciousness on and off.
‘Around the last 30/45 minutes of this reaction I was fully aware of what was happening to me/who was around/what people were saying, but I had no control over my body, I wasn’t able to stop any of this, I wasn’t able to speak, I let out a cry here and there but that was all I could manage,’ she wrote.
According to Ms Dempsey, she was ‘the fifth girl brought in that night’ from the same Newbridge nightclub, which she said ‘is not okay’.
After having tests performed on her that ‘came out clear’, Ms Dempsey was sent home.
Detailing her symptoms, Ms Dempsey added: ‘The doctors and nurses believed myself and all the other girls that were brought in on Saturday night were spiked too. I had no idea what I had been given the night before, I had no idea how long the side effects would last.
‘It’s Wednesday, only today [March 16] have I stopped feeling weak, and sick in my stomach, but I am both mentally and physically drained from this experience.’
The 20-year-old said she is unsure if she ‘will ever want to go out again’ after what happened to her.
Concluding the message, Ms Dempsey emphasised the importance of women being able to go out without ‘being terrified’.
‘This isn’t fair, us women/girls should be allowed to go out and enjoy ourselves just as much as anyone else without being terrified.
‘This isn’t fair on us five girls it’s happened to who have to live with the physical and mental side effects of this. I haven’t had a full night sleep since Saturday and I think of what happened all day everyday,’ she said.
McGowan’s/Apollo Newbridge issued a statement on March 24, encouraging anyone involved or who witnessed the in the incident to reach out to their establishment and to contact Gardai.
‘It is most troubling that reports have been circulating on social media regarding the alleged spiking of customers at our premises, on Saturday 12th. To date, no complaints by or on behalf of injured parties have been made to us.
‘No witnesses have come forward and the CCTV footage does not reveal any such activity. However, we are acutely aware that offenders operate in a discreet, nefarious and cunning manner.
‘We encourage any and all injured parties and witnesses to reach out to us, so that we can investigate the matter fully and assist in apprehending any offender(s).’
‘Management has spoken with An Garda Síochana regarding the posts on social media. Following that discussion and having reviewed the general HSE advice, we would implore all of our customers to immediately seek the assistance of our staff, local medical authorities and An Garda Síochana should they suspect that a spiking incident has occurred.’
‘This will allow the immediate apprehension of the perpetrator of the assault.
‘All staff are committed to ensuring that every customer has a safe and enjoyable experience at Mc Gowan’s of Newbridge,’ the statement read.
If you have been affected by the content in this story please visit Women’s Aid.
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