Patrons warned to watch drinks

HOTEL and nightclub patrons have been urged to guard their drinks to avoid them being spiked with drugs.

The warning comes after a 20-year-old woman collapsed at a city park only minutes after leaving a nightclub.

She told security staff who found her she believed her drink had been spiked.

The 20-year-old was found about 3am in Spillett Park in Smith St.

She was vomiting and told security guards she felt dizzy and she hadn't had too much to drink.

She also told them she didn't take drugs and had left her drink unattended for a few minutes and finished it off when she came back to the table.

Security guards called an ambulance and the woman was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for tests.

The incident was reported to the police.

Australian Hotels Association chief executive Sally Fielke said one incident of drink spiking was one too many.

She said drink spiking was not very prevalent in Darwin but patrons of licensed premises should watch their drink and their friends' drinks if they leave a table for a short time.

"The association will soon conduct drink spiking courses in awareness and prevention for staff of all licensed premises in Darwin," Ms Fielke said. "We have done the courses in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine and they have proved to be very helpful."

A survey last year found up to a third of NT sexual assault victims were plied with drugs or alcohol before being attacked.

The survey, conducted by the Sexual Assault Referral Centre found up to 90 per cent of drug-related assaults -- including drink spiking, drug rape and date rape -- went unreported in the Territory.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Mon, 10th October 2005
Source: Northern Territory News
Author: Paul Jackson
Email: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://www.ntnews.com.au
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News