Drink spike terror of Wigan student nurse Ellie

One bystander began performing CPR on Ellie Clinton because she thought she was at risk from dying.

Happily the Standish 22-year-old has made a complete recovery but for several days afterwards she was ill and has since been told that other girls have suffered a similar fate in Wigan.

It came after fears were voiced nationally about a new wave of spikings, using so called “date rape drugs” such as Rohypnol (or Roofie) and Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), this time using needles, although in Ellie’s case it is thought something was slipped in her drink.

Ellie had been on a night out on Wigan’s King Street to celebrate Halloween with some friends. But by 3am she was being taken to A&E after suddenly collapsing and being found unresponsive.

In the aftermath she realised she had been spiked and other people went onto social media to say that relatives of theirs had suffered the same fate in Wigan over the weekend.

Ellie said: “I constantly work and rarely go out, but I decided to go out just this once after work.

“But I never get flat out drunk, I have only ever been tipsy.

“The whole night I only had two drinks. I remember everything before being spiked.

“We went to a few places and the last bar we went to I got a drink and went to have a dance with my friends.

“After that I went to sit down and have a chat with a friend and the next thing I knew a bouncer had me over his shoulders and was taking me outside.

“Luckily my friend saw me being taken out and came with me. I asked her the next day was I behaving erratically before I collapsed and she said ‘no you were completely fine.’ It was all a bit strange.”

As soon as Ellie was taken outside, she passed out and no-one could rouse her.

Ellie said: “A woman began doing CPR because of the state I was in. My friend was on the phone to the ambulance service, but one turned up meant for someone else in another club but they prioritised me because of my condition.

“Because the alcohol levels in my blood were so low, the paramedics said there is no way I was that drunk after two drinks confirming I had been spiked.”

When Ellie went to hospital, they checked her for puncture wounds to see if she had been spiked by injection but the doctors and nurses couldn’t find any. And a hospital medic told her: “It looks like someone put something in your drink.”

She was kept in hospital for several hours before being allowed home at 7am.

It has only been within the past few days that Ellie has began to feel better.

“It was like a hangover times 10. I couldn’t eat, I was shaking it was awful.

“I couldn’t think of anything worse than ever having a drink again.”

Ellie’s mum Bev said the phone call she got that night was every mum’s worst nightmare: “My heart sank, I was hysterical. I couldn’t even get to her because her car was parked behind mine and it was too late to get a taxi.

“But the ambulance driver told me not to go because they wouldn’t let me in the hospital anyway due to Covid.

“It only really hit us a few days later when we processed it all, thinking what could have happened.

“We are so grateful for her friend Lydia because it doesn’t bear thinking about if she wasn’t with her.”

Bev posted a Facebook status warning people to be vigilant if they go on a night out and had numerous messages saying their relatives had also been spiked.

However, Ellie and her mum were left devastated after a nightclub owner said Ellie was lying about being spiked and just didn’t want to tell her mum she was a drug addict.

Ellie said: “They shared my mum’s status accusing me of telling a doorman I’d been taking pills. Why would I do that?

“I’m not like that and I want to set the record straight. I’ve worked in A&E, I’ve seen what drugs can do to people so why would I jeopardise my career? I could get kicked off my course for that.”

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