Spate of women being injected in bars

[Warning12]

I’ve just seen the thread on drinks being spiked on here and so I thought I’d add this as a warning.

Three of DDs friends (who don’t know each other) have been ‘spiked’ by being injected while in a bar. These were in two different Scottish cities and once in Spain. They were all very poorly but recovered in the following days.

I don’t know how they managed to do it without them feeling it, but I think this even worse than having a drink spiked as you have no idea how many other people have been injected with the same needle

Deapite being encouraged by many people to report it to the police, none of them did. Anyway, just be careful!

How do they know they were spiked?

what happened after they were spiked?

How did they realise that they had been injected?

They all had an injection site that was red and swollen on the back of their arms. The first time jt happened to DDs friend, someone else (who DD didn’t know) told her to check as she knew someone who had been injected The second and third times they knew because DD told them to check.

I can’t get my head around someone injecting a stranger with drugs - paying for them
etc- for no reason.
Horrible thing to say not it seems more logical if there is a subsequent assault, but all these people who are just drugged and go home- it doesn’t feel right tbh.

It’s so frustrating none of them reported to police so these crimes will be going undocumented

I don’t fully understand either. Maybe they get their kicks out of injuring a woman. They initially assumed it was their drink that had been spiked. They were taken home/back to the hotel by friends very quickly as they were really poorly. As I said, all three had the same injection site the next morning The only connection between them is they know DD.

@floppybit There must be actions that the police can take to make it more likely for victims to report to them. I should think at the moment victims may feel that they won't be believed and that the perpetrators are unlikely to be caught, so it feels like more hassle for the victim for no outcome at all.

There’s a whole episode of 24 Hours in A and E devoted to when there was a spate of these in Nottingham. It’s scary, but quite informative too.

I agree. I know the first one that she felt embarrassed and just wanted to forget about it. None went to a GP either, which is awful given that they don’t know whether they’ve contracted any diseases. I

I never saw that. It’s awful.

Why on earth didn’t they go to a&e. They might have needed prophylactic treatment for hiv . What were they thinking not being checked out ?

I really don’t know. I think the one in Spain didn’t know where to go/what to do. DD wasn’t with her at the time so she only raised the alarm the next day, by which time she’s recovered. They’re all 18 or 19.

@Warning12 they still should go and get seen to . They can get checked out at the very least

Quite often the injecting or spiking IS the assault (with no further attack planned). It’s another form of attack and violence.

Presumably the people who do it enjoy the power and control it gives them, enjoy seeing what happens, maybe do it for a laugh or as a game with their mates.

One thing’s for sure - despite this having been going on for decades, it’s mostly not taken seriously by anyone much other than the victims, their friends and families.

Imagine if everyone here who is shocked ,outraged and deeply worried for their own children /wider family and friends wrote to their MP about this saying it's a grave concern and we want action ?

We need to make it a concern ! We need the NHS/ police to help and bars and venues to help stamp it out. Why should they if no one cares ?

Let's make them care !

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/24-hours-ae-nottingham-fans-8096710.
Ive found this report on needle spiking in Nottingham that goes back to 2021. Shocking!

I’d never heard about until it happened to DDs friend 6 months ago. If DD hadn’t have told the other two to check for needle marks, they would have assumed it was their drink that
was spiked. Makes you wonder how many other people are not aware of what’s happened.

The toxicological evidence across studies presents a particularly compelling counterpoint to widespread needle spiking claims. Harmel et al. (Citation2024) found that despite 62% of alleged victims presenting with skin lesions compatible with needle pricking, all toxicological and serological tests returned negative results. This mirrors findings in the UK, where despite 1,382 suspected cases reported to police between September 2021 and January 2022, toxicological analysis failed to confirm a single case of surreptitious drug administration via injection (Campion-Vincent Citation2022). The absence of identified drugs in reported cases is further emphasized by Westmarland and McCarry (Citation2025), who found that only seven incidents out of hundreds had drugs identified (specifically mamba, insulin,cocaine).