Nightclub licence review over spiking claim

The family of a young woman who allegedly had her drink spiked are applying for Timepiece in Exeter to have its licence revoked

The family of a student who allegedly had her drink spiked in Freshers' Week is trying to have a nightclub's licence revoked.

Documents set to be reviewed by Exeter City Council's licensing sub-committee said staff at Timepiece failed to call an ambulance and told the woman to move away from the club on 20 September.

Staff at the city centre venue said they were not informed of any possible spiking and at no point were they asked to call an ambulance.

The application to revoke the nightclub's licence will be heard during a meeting at 09:30 GMT on Monday.

The application, brought by Essex-based barrister David Dadds who is acting on behalf of the family, said the young woman "became seriously unwell and collapsed immediately outside the premises".

He said there were "obvious signs of medical distress" which led to the woman "being placed in the recovery position" with a weak pulse, breathing difficulty and foaming at the mouth.

In a statement for the committee, Mr Dadds said the door staff refused to call an ambulance and directed the complainant be "moved away" from the front of the premises rather than receiving on-site assistance.

He said there was a "failure to protect a vulnerable patron" and early reporting and testing was "critical" in cases of suspected drink spiking.

'Compassionate' door staff

In its response, Timepiece claimed CCTV footage showed the woman was not in "medical distress" and at no stage were staff made aware she had been spiked.

Timepiece said door staff "were never asked to call an ambulance" and "did not ask that the complainant be moved away" from the front.

They said CCTV and information from staff involved showed "door staff were compassionate, spoke to a taxi driver and assisted the group" in trying to get the young woman home.

Timepiece said as a venue, it was "predominantly student-led" and regularly had to deal with the impact of students "pre-loading" - drinking heavily before going out.

It added CCTV showed the woman had revisited the venue "on numerous occasions" since the alleged spiking.