Love Island’s Sharon Gaffka has recalled the terrifying moment she discovered her drink was spiked on a night out in London.
The 25-year-old explained how in July 2020 – a year before entering the Mallorca villa for the ITV2 dating show – she went on a night out with friends to celebrate pubs reopened following the lift of the first lockdown.
However, Sharon told how she soon found herself in a situation that has ‘altered her behaviour forever’.
Writing for Grazia, Sharon penned: ‘My friends found me, passed out in a toilet cubicle, in an uncompromising position, after bumping my head on the toilet, barely breathing with my eyes rolling into the back of my head, and no one could understand how this had happened.’
Love Island’s Sharon Gaffka, 25, has recalled the terrifying moment she discovered her drink was spiked on a night out in London. Pictured, in the Love Island villa
Sharon – who insists she knows her alcohol limit and was confused as to how it could happen – explained how her friends called the emergency services, but were horrified that she was ‘dismissed’ as someone who was just too drunk.
It was only when her friend, who worked as a junior doctor, put up a fight that Sharon was taken seriously and whisked off to hospital.
‘When you’re feeling vulnerable it is only natural to turn to the public services put in place to protect you,’ she explained. ‘But why is it, when a female is left in a vulnerable position, at no fault of her own, she is dismissed for being irresponsible?’
After being seen to at hospital, Sharon was discharged with no memory of her treatment, but luckily a friend was there to take her home.
The 25-year-old (pictured) explained how the incident happened in July 2020 when she went on a night out with friends to celebrate pubs reopened following the lift of the first lockdown
Sharon (pictured) told how after her friends called the emergency services, but were horrified she was ‘dismissed’ as someone who was just too intoxicated
Later, Sharon called the hospital and learned they had detected something in her bloodstream that causes those who ingest it to pass out.
Despite being in hospital, Sharon, who said she could barely say her name at the time, had not been tested for date-rape drug GHB, and claims the hospital ‘refused’ to test her because she didn’t request it.
‘I was informed that had I wanted to be tested, I should’ve gone to the police station,’ she said. ‘I remember this feeling of being let down, as well as a huge sense of shame that I lost my inhabitations.’
National police figures confirmed there have been almost 200 confirmed cases of drink spiking in September and October alone, with 24 reports of ‘spiking injection’.
Sharon (pictured) appeared on the most recent series of ITV2 dating show, Love Island
Now, Sharon who is sharing her horrifying ordeal in a bid to encourage other women with similar experiences, has questioned: ‘How big does the number have to get before we see action?’
She is also taking part in the Girls Night In boycott – a movement which has seen women and men avoid going out to bars and clubs as they demand better safety measures for customers.
Dozens of local Instagram pages have been created to spread the news of the Girls Night In campaign, where women from various university cities will stay in, ‘spreading awareness and challenging clubs’ to keep people safe.
It comes after hundreds of cases, including drink spiking and injections, were reported in recent months.
Last week, an Aberdeen University student, Emma, spoke to the media about her ‘black out’ experience – after finding a puncture mark on her body after a night out in the city.
She added: ‘I just knew something wasn’t right. The rest of the day after, I couldn’t get out of my bed, I couldn’t stand up without feeling as if I was going to pass out.’
The student has now started a course of treatment to prevent her developing Hepatitis B – as she fears where else the needle might have been used.
Another hit the headlines this weekend, as an Arbroath woman shared an image of a jab mark after a night in an Aberdeen club.