Woman left "paranoid" after nightclub spiking at the exact moment she needed help

A woman believes she was spiked in a nightclub - at the moment she needed help. The experience left Shannon Fleming horrified and paranoid.

The 20 year-old final year student at Edge Hill University, was on a night out in Ormskirk. She ended up in hospital after the incident. Shannon told the Liverpool Echo: “I had an asthma attack in the club and someone got me some water, that must have been it.”

Though Shannon recovered physically, the effect on her mental health was severe. She said: “I was quite paranoid, quite wary of going out in general. Definitely for a couple of months, especially because it was so dark and wintery when it happened.”

Now she has helped to make a short drama with drama students depicting the dangers of spiking. The students have produced a series of resources aimed at helping others to keep themselves safe during a night out, with support from West Lancashire Police, West Lancashire Borough Council’s Community Safety Partnership, the Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC) and the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network.

The move is part of Lancashire Police’s work to prevent violence against women and girls and aims to provide information and guidance on where students can go for help and support. Marketing students designed posters providing information on the symptoms of spiking, encouraging people to take care of themselves and their friends.They have been displayed around the university and also in local licensed premises.

The video has been produced by Creative Writing, Performing Arts, Media and Policing students, highlighting the dangers of leaving a drink unattended and ways in which students can get support on and off campus.

Funding from partners has also provided anti-spiking