Brookes freshers come home from interrailing after being pepper sprayed in the face

A night out in Budapest left two Brookes freshers writhing in pain after being attacked and pepper sprayed by another clubber.

English language first year Lauren McNamara and occupational therapist Catherine Halstead were clubbing at the famous Instant nightclub in Budapest – when thugs attacked the girls.

The gang confronted the girls and one man grabbed Lauren as the club was shutting. When the group of friends tried to get in a taxi, the girls were pepper sprayed in the face.

Lauren said: “In England it would have been considered assault.

“My friend asked him to get off me but the guy just started to kick off. He told us to take it outside, we didn’t want to but the club was shutting so we had to get a taxi but the thugs followed us.

“We thought they were on drugs. I turned around to tell them that we didn’t want a fight and the next thing I’d been pepper sprayed in the eyes.

“It was the most painful thing ever, we couldn’t open our eyes for at least an hour. It stung so badly. Our eyes were red and swollen and it was all over our necks, hands and arms.”

The attack ruined their holiday

The girls were left writhing in pain on the floor with a stranger pouring milk all over them to help the pain, but the bouncer at the club showed no sign of caring.

The thugs didn’t just attack the two helpless students but also attempted to beat up the girls friend Rory, who goes to Exeter. He was also stung by the pepper spray but not as severely.

Lauren said: “Somebody called an ambulance and I told the bouncer what had happened. He just laughed in my face.”

The Brookes girls, who are going into second year, were too scared to finish their interrailing trip after the terrifying attack and left Budapest the next day to return home.