Mum in drink-spike danger alert
Concerned mother Cara Stephenson is warning youngsters of the dangers of drink spiking - after her son had to be resuscitated when his drink was tampered with.
Teenager Ben Purslow was one of two people who collapsed after a night out and had to be taken to hospital.
Police first feared they had taken ecstasy but it was later found the illness was caused by drink spiking.
Ben has recovered, but, as summer approaches and young people take to sitting outside with drinks, his mother is appealing to everyone to be aware of the dangers that nearly killed her son.
She said tests showed her son had been affected by GHB.
"Ben was so ill," she said: "He said afterwards he felt tired, yet was wide awake. Then he became incoherent and collapsed. Thank goodness his cousin was with him, as he rang for an ambulance.
"It was so frightening, I would hate other young people and other parents to go through this. I would just say to young people, be aware there is someone in Oswestry spiking drinks and they should take steps to ensure it doesn't happen to them.
"Keep your thumb over the bottle, never leave your drink unattended."
A police spokesman said: "People should be extremely wary if they are offered any suspicious substance. They should always keep drinks close to hand to guard against any risk of them being spiked."
* Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) - is an odourless, colourless liquid that in small doses causes a reduction of social inhibitions. Higher doses lead to feelings of sedation but when taken with alcohol it can lead to respiratory collapse or coma.
