An 18-year-old woman from Scotland has described how she was left barely able to walk, speak or hear after being spiked with a needle in a Magaluf nightclub.
Taylor Coulter, a footballer from Port Glasgow, was on holiday in Mallorca with friends when the attack happened at the Bananas club.
What happened
As she was walking back from the toilets, a stranger bumped into her and she felt a sharp sting in her arm, followed by a cold sensation spreading through her body. Within minutes she could hardly walk, speak or hear, and she collapsed onto a friend.
Her friends’ quick response
Her friends took her back to their hotel, put her under a cold shower and called an ambulance. She was vomiting and her vision was blurred, but she remained conscious.
In hospital
Doctors identified the drug as GHB, a colourless and odourless substance that can incapacitate victims. She was given a drip and antibiotics and, as a precaution because a needle had been used, was tested for HIV and other infections. She was discharged the next day.
A warning to others
Back home, Taylor said that being on her own on the way back from the toilets had made her an easy target. Her father, Stuart, urged young people to stay together on nights out, never wander off alone and keep an eye on their drinks, stressing that anyone, male or female, can be targeted.
If you think you have been spiked
- Tell a friend, bar staff or security straight away.
- Call 112 for medical help; operators speak English.
- Report it to the police as soon as possible: some drugs leave the body within hours, so early tests matter.
- Do not go home alone.
Police in Calvià have stepped up awareness campaigns in Magaluf’s nightlife area in recent summers in response to reports of drink and needle spiking.
