21-year-old man suffered ‘savage spiking’ that almost killed him and wants to show how severe it can really be

A 21-year-old, who suffered a “savage spiking” on a night out in Northampton town centre, wants to show just how severe it can be after he almost died.

The male was spiked in the early hours of last Sunday morning (January 22), which saw him taken to hospital in an ambulance and his breathing stopped twice after going into respiratory arrest.

Speaking out about the incident to Chronicle & Echo, his older sister said: “We were told by nurses and police it was one of the worst cases of spiking they have seen.

“People should not second guess who the targets are, as anyone can fall victim to spiking.

“Spikings shouldn’t be treated mildly and you should always get medical help. Call an ambulance if you need to as if my brother’s friends didn’t, he wouldn’t be here.”

The 21-year-old and four of his friends began their night out at around 7.30pm on January 21, and Apple Pay transactions have been used to pinpoint where he had been and at what time.

The group travelled to different venues but arrived at their final location at 1.40am on January 22.

The Chron has chosen not to name the venue at this time.

Upon arrival at this venue, his friends said he was absolutely fine until he lost them for a short while and they were reunited at around 2.30am.

“At this point, his friends noticed he was sleepy, incoherent, shaky and was then sick – which we all know is unusual of him,” said his sister. “They tried to walk him to get a taxi but didn’t make it all the way before he passed out on the street.

“The four of them carried him into a takeaway to keep him warm as he was shaking, and they called an ambulance.”

One of his friends accompanied him in the ambulance to Northampton General Hospital, which is when the 21-year-old suffered his first respiratory attack and stopped breathing.

This happened a second time while he was being resuscitated, which almost killed him.

Upon arrival at the hospital, his friends were attempting to contact family members by adding and messaging them on social media – which proved difficult as it was the early hours of the morning but eventually got through at around 3.30am.

The doctor took over the phone to explain he had stopped breathing twice, and asked if he had any health conditions as his reaction had been so severe.

The 21-year-old’s sister said: “We were panicking and my mum was beside herself. She said he’s too young to be going through something so terrifying.

“He didn’t recognise us when we arrived at around 4am and we just kept thinking if an ambulance hadn't been called for another 10 minutes, he wouldn’t be here.

“This is our family’s first experience of spiking and it’s terrifying. What are the police doing about it when it happens so regularly?”

After being treated at 3.30am on the morning of January 22, the young male had to be monitored for 45 minutes and was then released from hospital at 10am the same day.

“It’s as if nothing happened,” said his sister. “He doesn’t remember anything so isn’t affected, but it has shocked me, my family and his friends – especially the one who stayed by his side in the ambulance and saw him being resuscitated.

“My brother is really thankful and feels lucky to be here. He wants to thank the emergency services for saving his life.”

Northamptonshire Police have confirmed they received a report from the ambulance service at 5am on January 22 that a 21-year-old man was in their care following a night out in Northampton town centre.

The police say they are treating this incident as a suspected spiking and enquiries are progressing.