CONTENT WARNING: This article contains content that may be distressing to some readers.
A new spiking trend appears to be in development after a young woman collapsed at a British music festivals in what authorities believe to be an alleged attack.
Chloe Hammerton, 26, collapsed at the Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday after a man approached her and offered her his vape, which he encouraged her to try.
Hammerton said she became “instantly unwell” after taking a puff and fell unconscious “within a minute”.
“We got to the festival about 2 o’clock but it took a turn for the worse when I took a puff of a vape from a stranger,” she claimed during an appearance on Good Morning Britain Monday.
“I felt instantly unwell, it was almost like the world went into slow motion.
“I had pins and needles throughout my body and I collapsed to the floor.
“Within a minute I was unconscious, had a seizure, vomiting, incontinence. My entire body shut down.”
Pictures taken after the alleged attack showed Hammerton unresponsive on the ground. She said she was unable to move her body or respond.
Hammerton initially received care from the festival’s medical team before she was transported to hospital — where she remained “vomiting uncontrollably” for another 16 hours.
“I don’t have any history of seizures, it was the scariest thing I have ever been through,” she said.
“I thought I was going to die.”
A 51-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of administering a poison or noxious substance with intent, per BBC News.
While vape spiking appears to be a new form of spiking, founder of non-profit Stamp Out Spiking Dawn Dines told BBC News “it’s on the rise” and “hugely unreported”.
“All of these different flavours – it’s so easy to ask someone ‘Why don’t you try my blueberry vape?’,” she said.
“That’s as quickly as you can catch somebody.”
Chloe Hammerton urged people to be careful of who they accept vapes from — as much as it fkn sucks to have to be responsible for your own safety like this (you really should be able to safely exist), it’s also the shitty reality of being a woman in this world.
“Do not accept anything off someone you don’t know,” she warned.
“We’re aware of drink spiking – you wouldn’t take a drink someone offered you at a festival, but vape spiking isn’t as well known and I hope people won’t go through what I went through.”
Be safe, folks. It’s a scary world out there.
Image: Facebook / Natasha Ward
- If you need mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000
