Chesterfield club hits back after mum claims drink ‘spiking’ ordeal made her go ‘temporarily blind’

Amy, who did not wish to give her full name, was rushed to hospital experiencing ‘petrifying seizures’ and screaming that she ‘could not see’ after returning home from the Apartment bar on Saturday.

The 22-year-old was enjoying her second vodka and lemonade at the venue with friend Alex, 25, when they noticed that ‘something was very wrong’.

Both women ‘vomited in the club toilets’ and made the decision to go home as they ‘did not feel well at all’ – Alex had also noted that her drink ‘tasted funny’.

Staff at Apartment say they later scoured CCTV footage but could find ‘no evidence to suggest’ the incident occurred at the venue, which they say has an ‘unblemised safety record’.

But the two women maintain they felt ‘very ill’ as they staggered through the Crooked Spire churchyard and got in a taxi.

Though neither can remember much of the return journey, the pair made it to Amy’s house.

However, things took a turn for the worse when Amy said she had ‘gone blind’ and began having a violent seizure.

“I could see my body jerking and then I couldn’t see, I was petrified,” said Amy, who is a mother to two little boys.

“I rang my mum Marie, who was at work at the time.

“I said, mum, I can’t see- you have to help me,” she added.

“Then I passed out while on the phone.”

Alex called for an ambulance and paramedics arrived along with Marie and Amy’s cousin, Molly, who said: “The scene was horrible.

“I have never witnessed anything so disturbing in my whole life.

“Amy’s eyes were all white, no iris, no pupils, nothing. She couldn’t speak, move or interact with anyone. Her mum and I were devastated.”

Luckily, Amy made a full recovery after being taken to Chesterfield Royal Hospital where she drifted in and out of consciousness as doctors carried out blood tests and an X-ray.

“A doctor later told me I was showing all the signs of being spiked with ketamine,” added Amy, who is warning others to be vigilant after her ordeal.

“Our drinks were in our hands the whole time.

“I always thought if you were holding your drink, you were safe.

“I hope others will be on their guard. It will be a shadow that follows Alex and I on every future night out.”

A post put out by Molly to warn others has been shared almost 3,000 times on Facebook.

But the director of Apartment has hit back at the claims and disputes whether the incident took place. They said: “We’re currently coming to the end of our investigation into this incident, which was brought to our attention via a post on Facebook.

“Having contacted all relevant local authorities, none as of yet have any report or case relating to this incident. If relevant authorities wish to discuss this incident, we are more than eager to co-operate.

“We have extensive CCTV both throughout and on the exterior of the venue.

“This has been reviewed considerably and there is currently no evidence of anything to suggest that this occurred at our venue.

“Furthermore, we have done due diligence with our security company and our staff who were present on the evening, and nobody was ever reported to be ill or had to be aided through or out of the building at any point.

“We have two qualified first aiders on site and two managers, and this incident was not brought to their attention by anybody during the evening.

“We do regular toilet checks and nobody was ill in the ladies toilets throughout the night. A member of security was positioned close to the ladies toilets on the evening, as is always the case at weekends.

“We have no reports from that member of staff or any CCTV footage to suggest that an incident occurred here.

“We have a zero tolerance policy towards drugs and many will testify that we are one of the strictest venues in the town when it’s comes to this.

“We have an unblemished safety record in Chesterfield and believe Apartment is a safe environment as are many great bars in the town.”