Taylor Coulter, an 18-year-old footballer from Port Glasgow, was injected with the drug GHB at a nightclub in Magaluf, Spain, leaving her unable to walk, talk, or see. The incident occurred on June 16 during a girls' holiday to celebrate finishing high school.
The spiking incident
Inside Bananas club on the infamous Magaluf strip, a man deliberately collided with Taylor and injected her arm with GHB (γ-hydroxybutyrate), a powerful central nervous system depressant often used to render victims unconscious. Taylor collapsed on the dance floor within minutes, vomiting and losing her vision and ability to move or speak.
Taylor told the Daily Record: "I was making my way back from the bathroom when the man bumped into me. I instantly felt a sharp pain in my arm and cold liquid running through my body. As I made my way back to my friends, I collapsed into one of them and everything went black."
Aftermath and hospitalisation
Her friends carried her back to the hotel, called an ambulance, and contacted her parents, Stuart, 45, and Alison Coulter, 46. Taylor recalled: "My friends put me in a cold shower to try and wake me up. I was vomiting and my vision was blurry. I couldn't walk or talk or hear anything. I remember thinking 'Am I going to survive? Am I going to make it?' I was so scared I was going to die."
At the hospital, medical staff confirmed she had been injected with GHB. She was put on a drip and given antibiotics. As a result of being spiked with a needle, she underwent testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. She was released the next day, and the incident was reported to Spanish authorities.
Impact on Taylor's life
Taylor, a player for Greenock Morton Women's FC, was due to relocate to the US for a two-year football scholarship next month. However, she has been suffering from traumatic flashbacks and has lost confidence. She said: "I'm struggling to walk anywhere by myself. I'm constantly having to stop to take breaths. I've lost all my strength and have nightmares about it all happening again. I'm so on edge when I'm out in public now."
Taylor's father Stuart described the ordeal as "every parent's worst nightmare" and warned other young Scots. He said: "Taylor thinks she was targeted because she is a young female who was seen alone. It can happen to anyone and even boys get targeted so they can be robbed."
Warnings and advice
Taylor urged young people to stay vigilant: "Spiking can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, or whether you're sober or drunk. Young people need to keep their wits about them and speak to their friends about this being a possibility. Stay with your pals and never venture off alone. If you think you or a friend have been spiked, alert bar and security staff and phone an ambulance."
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are working closely with the travel industry and tour operators to raise awareness of the dangers of drink spiking abroad. Although most British holidaymakers return home with positive experiences, it is important to recognise that drink spiking can happen almost anywhere. That is why we regularly update travel advice to help people reduce the risks."
Bananas Nightclub has been approached for a response.
