A 51-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of trying to poison a festival-goer who collapsed after puffing on a ‘spiked vape offered to her by an older man’.
Chloe Hammerton, 26, who lives in Southampton, was attending the Isle of Wight festival on Saturday with with her partner Natasha Ward and brother William when she was approached by a man who encouraged her to try his vape.
Natasha, who was stood next to her queuing for food, claims within a minute of taking a puff she collapsed and began drifting in and out of consciousness.
She said Chloe was unable to speak or move any part of her body and that she also started fitting, while her pupils kept constricting and dilating.
Hampshire Constabulary said a man, from Rochester, Kent, has been arrested on suspicion of administering a poison or noxious substance with intent following the incident and he remains in police custody.
Chloe Hammerton collapsed and started having bouts of fits after she was ‘duped’ into taking a puff on a stranger’s vape, her partner Natasha Ward claims
Natasha, who was stood next to her queuing for food, claims within a minute of taking a puff Chloe (pictured) collapsed and began drifting in and out of consciousness
A Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson today said: ‘Officers investigating the circumstances surrounding a woman becoming unwell at Isle of Wight Festival have made an arrest.
‘It was reported to police that a 26 year old woman needed medical assistance after she used a vape that was offered to her by a man at the festival on Saturday 17 June.
‘Following enquiries, a 51 year old man from Rochester, Kent, was arrested in Kent on suspicion of administering a poison or noxious substance with intent.
‘He remains in custody at this time.’
Natasha, who is a recruitment consultant, earlier this week posted on social media criticising the festival staff for their ‘incompetence and lack of urgency’ during the ordeal.
She said that Chloe’s collapse was called in as a ‘crash call’, which is used to indicate when a person is suffering a cardiac arrest, which later proved not to be the case, but medics were still slow to respond.
Natasha claimed that Chloe, who works in the ambulance service, would have died if she really had gone into cardiac arrest as there was ‘no equipment, medication or staff qualified’ to help her.
She said she was left ‘begging and screaming’ for help while festival staff sat and stared at Chloe laying on the floor.
At one point, William was forced to run to the one of the festival’s welfare tents, but was unable to find any medics and instead had to ask for help from volunteers who were ‘disrespectful, patronising and unhelpful’, Natasha claimed.
She added that she was finally offered help by a nurse from the crowd and her sister-in-law, Sophie, who is also a student nurse.
Natasha (right), who is a recruitment consultant, posted on social media criticising the Isle of Wight festival staff for their ‘incompetence and lack of urgency’ during the ordeal
Posting online about the incident, Natasha said: ‘Saturday into Sunday was truly one of the worst 24 hours of my life due to someone spiking/drugging, and nearly killing, my girlfriend at the Isle of Wight festival on Saturday afternoon/evening.
‘Chloe doesn’t vape or smoke, and has never done drugs in her life, but was duped into taking a puff in this situation.
‘Within a minute, she was in and out of consciousness, unable to speak or move any part of her body and fitting with her pupils constricting to pinpoints and then dilating to 7’s.
‘I want to highlight the death sentence the festival organisers, security, ‘welfare team’ and medic almost gave Chloe from the total incompetence and lack of urgency which led to us waiting over an hour for any ‘medical response.
‘The Isle of Wight Festival has been running since 1968. It sold 55,000 tickets for this weekend. A day ticket cost over £100 each for us four.
‘Yet when we needed and pleaded for help in a life-threatening situation, the response was completely abhorrent. Negligent. Inhumane. Disgraceful.
‘I wouldn’t wish what we went through on Saturday on anybody. To be begging, screaming for help for the person you love* For hours! Whilst they’re laying on the floor, terrified and unconscious, in front of you and thousands of people.
‘We even had to shout at security to move fences to give some privacy because all any of the staff did was sit and stare and cause more problems, saying help was on its way when it wasn’t.’
The Isle of Wight Festival (pictured) took place this year from the Thursday June 15 to Sunday June 18 in Newport on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight organisers said they were ‘confident’ staff dealt with the incident ‘in a timely manner’ and that ‘an appropriate medical practitioner’ was on site within five minutes of Chloe’s collapse.
They added that her condition was assessed as ‘non-life-threatening’ and she was transported to the on site hospital.
An Isle of Wight spokesperson said after the incident on Saturday: ‘We operate a zero tolerance policy for anyone attempting to bring drugs to the festival and have robust systems in place to deal with anyone who attempts to do so.
‘This was an isolated incident dealt with quickly and professionally by all teams on site and no further reports of this nature have been recorded.
‘Our event medical team employs a wide range of appropriately qualified healthcare professionals. These fully trained individuals work 24 hours a day across our medical facilities on site.
‘Regarding the incident reported on social media, we are confident the team dealt with it in a timely manner, with an appropriate medical practitioner on site within 5 minutes and the patient’s condition assessed as non life-threatening and subsequently transported to the on site hospital.
‘The safety and wellbeing of attendees is our utmost priority and alongside our partners in the police, security and medical teams, we work incredibly hard over the festival weekend to ensure everyone is looked after.’
Vape spiking is a worrying new trend and has seen warnings issued by the police.
