Spiking at Cairns nightclub left Cairns woman Caitie Howarth in hospital

A spiking incident in a Cairns nightclub left a young woman waking up in hospital with a terrifying five-hour gap in her memory.

A spiking incident in a Cairns nightclub left a young woman waking up in hospital with a terrifying five hour gap in her memory.

Cairns resident Caitie Howarth went out for a night on the town on Saturday where she had four drinks before waking to find herself in the hospital, with no recollection of what had happened.

“I honestly can’t remember when I noticed something was wrong,” she said.

“My friends told me I messaged a couple people saying ‘I’m not okay, I need help’.

“It’s scary hearing everybody else tell you where you were and what you were saying.”

As someone who never touched drugs, Ms Howarth said this was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

Cairns resident Caitie Howarth after being spiked during a night out on Saturday, November 26. Picture: Supplied

“I didn’t have that much to drink,” she said.

“I did leave one place and I think my friends said they saw me with someone.”

Waking up after a five-hour blackout, Ms Howarth found herself in hospital, panicking and wanting to go home.

The paramedics and nurses let her go, without administering a drug test to confirm what she had been spiked with.

Normally a cautious person who is alert on nights out, Ms Howarth said she never thought she would be spiked.

“I could’ve been slipped anything, my friend saw what happened and he’s now walking around with stubbies and walking with his hand over his drink,” she said.

“I would say travel in a group but Saturday night wasn’t a good example, I was with a group of friends.”

Another woman reached out to Ms Howarth recalling the same incident happening to her on Saturday night. Picture: istock.

Posting on groups and pages on social media, Ms Howarth wanted to bring a face to the issue, bringing awareness to how frequently this happens.

“I also had another girl reach out to me and said she also was spiked on Saturday night,” she said.

“I don’t see myself going back in town for a long time.”

Cairns police Senior Constable Heidi Marek said she recommends not to leave drinks unattended and not to accept open drinks from anyone.

“If you feel very drunk in a disproportionate amount of time to the amount of drinks that you have consumed, immediately tell a friend or someone in authority,” she said.

“Consider keeping your drinks covered at all times by either using a coaster, your hand or covering bottles with your thumb. When attending private parties, always take your own drinks.”

Have you had your drink spiked on a night out in Cairns? Tell us about it by emailing [e-mail].

Originally published as Spiking at Cairns nightclub left Cairns woman Caitie Howarth in hospital