Police in Sheffield are investigating three reports of young women being spiked with needles over the weekend, warning those responsible that they are endangering the lives of innocent people and face long jail terms.
In recent weeks there has been a big rise in the number of spiking cases, resulting in demonstrations last week at more than 40 university towns and cities across the UK.
In Manchester, addressing a crowd of about 1,000 young people, Lucy Nichols described a “spiking epidemic” sweeping the UK. “Every single woman here will have a story about them or one of their friends being spiked,” she said. “Now we can’t even do the age-old trick of covering up our drinks, because they are spiking us with needles now too.”
South Yorkshire police said they were investigating three reports of women being injected with a suspected syringe while they were on a night out in the city.
The first case was in a city centre club in Eyre Street at 2am on Saturday, when an 18-year reported being injected. She became ill and was taken to hospital and has since been discharged. At the same location, at 4am on Monday, a 19-year-old woman was also injected with a suspected syringe. She was taken to hospital where she remains in a stable condition.
The third report was from an incident at a club in Carver Street on Saturday, involving an 18-year-old woman. She became ill and was taken to hospital from where she has been discharged.
Police said independent investigations were under way into all three incidents and inquiries “continue at pace” to trace those involved. “While we are not ruling anything out, evidence so far does not suggest that these crimes have a sexual motivation.”
DCI Benjamin Wood said he understood how worrying the reports would be.
“Everyone should be able to enjoy our night-time economy without the fear of being harmed,” he said. “Please know that we are thoroughly investigating each and every incident reported to us. Please continue to report to us if you think you have been spiked or if you notice any suspicious behaviour while you are out – we are here 24/7 to listen to you and support you.
“If you have been spiked, it is not your fault in any way and it is nothing you should feel ashamed of. The blame lies solely with those committing this type of crime.”
Addressing the perpetrators, he said: “It is not a joke. It is not a bit of fun. Consider the results of your careless and cruel actions: you are endangering the lives of innocent people who just want to go out and have fun with their friends. You are putting them at risk of serious illness, injury or assault.
“You are committing a serious crime, which could result in you being put behind bars for more than 10 years.”
