Two men suspected of spiking woman’s drink in Pryzm nightclub
Two 18-year-olds from Gloucestershire have been released on curfew, after they were arrested on suspicion of spiking a woman’s drink in Pryzm nightclub by the Harbourside.
The footage of the incident, which was shared extensively on social media, appears to show a man dropping a substance into a woman’s drink.
The police have released the two men on bail, with conditions including a curfew between 9pm and 6am. They are not permitted to go to nightclubs. Administering a substance with intent is a serious offence, and can result in a sentence of one to 9 years.
The incident took place just weeks after the launch of the Bristol Rules campaign, a collaboration between venues, the universities and the council to promote safety on nights out as students return to the city and Covid restrictions are lifted.
However, UWE Bristol said on Twitter that according to its records, the man named on social media was not enrolled at the university.
Avon and Somerset Police are continuing to investigate the incident, which took place in the early hours of Thursday 30 September, and have asked for anyone with information to come forward.
In a statement released on Saturday, the police said: “If you believe your drink has been tampered with on a night out we’d recommend alerting bar or security staff at the venue, reporting the incident to police by calling 101 and seeking immediate medical advice. The same applies if you’re with someone and believe their drink has been tampered with.”
Pryzm’s spokesperson told Bristol Live: “The safety and welfare of our guests is our number one priority and we do all we can through our We Care initiative to create a safe and fun night out.
“We urge anyone who sees suspicious behaviour, or suspects they have been a victim of drink spiking, to seek assistance immediately from a member of staff or security who are trained to help and who also have the support of our onsite medic.
“We take all allegations of this nature very seriously and anyone suspected of being involved, as in this case, is handed over to the police.
“We would also like to remind people on a night out to be vigilant and never leave their drink unattended, never accept a drink from somebody they don’t know, and to not drink anything they didn’t see being poured.”
An Avon and Somerset Police report analysing data from 2018–2020 showed Pryzm had the highest number of sexual assaults of any venue in the city centre, with 10 incidents taking place over two years. The report notes that these incidents are massively underreported.
The police asked anyone with information to call 101 and give the reference 5221228105.
