A male student from Keble had his
drink spiked at The Bridge nightclub on Tuesday. The student, who wishes to
remain anonymous, had his money stolen and was hospitalized as a result. The student said, “I went to The Bridge
with a mate on Tuesday night and met up with some others there. We bought some
drinks and stacked them up so we didn’t have to keep queuing – I only had about
six drinks over five hours. “The last thing I recall was
having three drinks waiting on the bar and getting about half way through the first
one – after that it was total memory blackout until this morning when I woke in
a hospital bed with a drip.”He went on to say that he had about
£50 removed from his wallet that night, but that nothing else went missing. Eve
Bugler, Keble’s JCR President reiterated the importance of going to the
hospital in cases of suspected drug spiking and having tests done so that there
is enough evidence for the police to proceed with investigations. Bugler said, “despite Oxford seeming like a
safe city, it is important to emphasise to all students that they should be
vigilant all the time. All should make sure that they watch their drinks and do
not accept drinks from strangers. Hopefully a greater awareness of the
importance of being careful will help to eliminate incidents like these.” A spokesperson from the Thames
Valley Police advised students, “Try to buy your own drinks and don’t take
drinks from people that you don’t know. don’t leave your drinks unattended.” Following
the incident, an e-mail was sent out to members of the Keble JCR and other
colleges including St Edmund Hall, urging students to be cautious. The victim said, “I’ve informed
the JCR to warn everyone to be careful: it doesn’t seem to be an isolated incident
and it’s not only girls at risk.” On Wednesday, former Keble student Richard
Craig was also hospitalized after being attacked in Park End, which had been
hosting a Zoo entz night. He received stiches in his head resulting from having
been “bottled”, although was released from hospital the same night.Ruth Pitcher, Keble JCR Welfare Officer
told Cherwell, “The College is extremely
concerned about such occurrences and in light of recent events have strongly
advised students to err on the side of caution when out at night. I would like
to reiterate the importance of vigilance in bars and clubs, and encourage
everyone to keep drinks as close as possible at all times.”ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005
Keble student drugged in club drink spiking
