“My friends and I saw a post on social media warning about ‘needle spiking’ in pubs and clubs. Is that a real thing and, if so, what is it?”
‘Needle spiking’ is when a person is injected with a drug without their consent. It was first reported in the UK in 2021 and, since that time we’ve heard of cases in other parts of the world, including Australia. One of the first cases was a UK young woman who said she was standing in a crowded nightclub and “felt a sharp pinch in her back, as if she had been pricked by a needle”. She was taken to hospital by friends and “spent hours disoriented and without sensation in her legs.”
We know very little about this crime. As with drink spiking, due to the nature of the drugs that are likely to be used, the victim often has very little recollection of exactly what happened. They therefore must rely on others they were with to let them know what actually went down after they were supposedly spiked. In some of the reported cases the person was sexually assaulted after being drugged but in many of the others there were no further crimes committed. Some people reported finding a needle mark while others didn’t.
Experts believe that needle spiking is rare. It’s terrifying to think that this could happen to someone while they’re out having fun with their friends but it’s also important to remember that this crime would be difficult to commit, i.e., it’s not as simple as a perpetrator quickly jabbing a needle into a person’s body and then walking away without anyone the wiser. It would take a couple of seconds to ensure that enough of the drug was injected into their system to have an effect and this would also need to be done relatively carefully. In addition, experts believe it would be almost impossible to inject enough of a drug to incapacitate someone through clothing.
That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen though. Those who believe they have been a victim of this crime have been through a traumatic experience and need support and assistance, not someone questioning whether it happened or not.
Unlike drink spiking, where it would take some time for a drug to enter your system, if you were injected effectively, i.e., enough of the drug entered your system, you’d feel the effects almost immediately. If you believe you’ve been spiked, tell someone you trust as quickly as possible and ask them to take you to a safe place. Once there, inform the venue what has happened and report the incident to police at your first opportunity.
First published: October 2024
