Woman may face charges after underarm pepper spray mix-up in nightclub toilets

A German woman who mistook her pepper spray for deodorant and doused herself with it in a nightclub toilet, injuring two women and forcing the club to evacuate, could face negligent bodily harm charges.

The 20-year-old woman had nipped into the Bavarian club's toilets to freshen up late on Monday night. She reached into her friend's bag for her deodorant, but instead pulled out a canister of pepper spray.

Würzburg police said the woman knew her friend had the deodorant but did not think to check whether it was pepper spray, before letting loose on her armpits. It immediately became clear that the spray was not what she thought though, and the irritant gas spread out into the rest of the disco.

Two women sustained eye injuries and had to be given medical treatment. Staff cleared the club as quickly as they could, and police confirmed that it remained shut until the gas had cleared. Police have opened an investigation to see whether the young woman should be charged with negligent bodily harm.