A young footballer has told of the terrifying moment she was spiked with a date-rape drug in a Magaluf nightclub.
Taylor Coulter, 18, had travelled to the Spanish resort on June 16 for a girls holiday to mark the end of high school.
But her celebrations turned into a horrible nightmare when a man who deliberately bumped into her in the Bananas club on the notorious strip injected her arm with GHB (γ-hydroxybutyrate) – a potent central nervous system depressant commonly used for rendering its victims unconscious.
The young Greenock Morton Women’s FC player collapsed on the dancefloor within minutes. She was left vomiting and unable to walk, talk or see.
Taylor, from Port Glasgow, told the Record: “I was making my way back from the bathroom when the man bumped into me.
View 8 ImagesTaylor the morning after she got spiked (Image: Supplied)
“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.”
Taylor was carried back to her hotel by pals who phoned an ambulance and her called her parents Stuart, 45, and Alison Coulter, 46.
“My friends put me in a cold shower to try and wake me up”, she continued.
“I was vomiting and my vision was blurry. I couldn’t walk or talk or hear anything.
View 8 ImagesTaylor has issued a warning to other girls heading over to the party resort this summer(Image: Daily Record)
“I remember thinking ‘Am I going to survive? Am I going to make it?’
“I was so scared I was going to die.
“If my pals hadn’t been there, who knows what might have happened to me.”
Taylor was rushed to hospital by ambulance where medics told her she had been injected with GHB.
The drug is often used in drink spiking incidents because it is odourless, colourless, and practically tasteless.
View 8 ImagesTaylor was spiked by injection two days before she was due to return to Scotland(Image: Supplied)
Taylor was placed on a drip and given antibiotics. In another frightening twist, she had to be tested for HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases because she had been spiked with a needle.
She was discharged from hospital the following day and the incident was reported to Spanish police.
Now recovering at home, Taylor believes she was targeted after because she was seen leaving her friends to go to the toilet alone.
The talented athlete is due to move to the US next month for a two-year football scholarship, but said she now been experiencing traumatising flashbacks that have shattered her confidence.
View 8 ImagesTaylor was enjoying a week’s holiday in Magaluf with her friends when it turned into disaster(Image: Supplied)
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. I’m nervous to socialise and I don’t feel comfortable going out.
“I’m meant to be going to the US next month for the scholarship but this has massively set me back. It was meant to be a holiday to mark the next stage in my life but it has ruined my confidence.
“My youngster sister Leah had a trip to Magaluf with her friends booked for next year, but as soon as I got home I begged her and my parents to cancel it.”
View 8 ImagesTaylor with two pals on holiday in Magaluf before the horror incident(Image: Supplied)
Taylor’s dad Stuart told the Record the experience was every parent’s worst nightmare as he issued a stark warning for other Scots youths who are due to head off on their first big holiday abroad this summer.
He added: “Taylor thinks she was targeted because she is a young female who was seen alone.
“With girls there is the fear of a sexual element, but this is a massive problem regardless of gender.
“It can happen to anyone and even boys get targeted so they can be robbed.
“The aftermath of this incident has been horrendous for our family.”
Taylor also issued her own warning to young Scots heading to party resorts to stay alert.
View 8 ImagesTaylor with her mum and dad, Stuart and Alison Coulter, who were left “terrified” by what happened to her(Image: Supplied)
She said: “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, even if you think you are safe.
“Be aware of your surroundings and protect your drinks incase something is dropped in them.
“Mostly importantly, if you think you or a friend have been spiked, alert bar and security staff and phone an ambulance.
View 8 ImagesTaylor says her confidence has been rocked by the terrifying event(Image: Daily Record)
“Get properly checked out and don’t be embarrassed about side-effects.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of if this happens to you.”
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.”
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The Record has contacted Bananas Nightclub for comment.
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