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Reports from the US about the Travis Scott concert says one person suffered a drugs overdose after being injected by someone else in the crowd. Maybe this is an urban myth that has been "willed" into existence and criminals are trying it for real?
 
Reports from the US about the Travis Scott concert says one person suffered a drugs overdose after being injected by someone else in the crowd. Maybe this is an urban myth that has been "willed" into existence and criminals are trying it for real?
If it's actual drugs being injected - then it probably won't be with the intent to subdue (in a crowd? What's the point?) and no regular drug user will willingly give up their drugs to a random, what a waste of money. This would be more likely to be some sadist deliberately trying to kill.
 
Reports from the US about the Travis Scott concert says one person suffered a drugs overdose after being injected by someone else in the crowd. Maybe this is an urban myth that has been "willed" into existence and criminals are trying it for real?

- Or maybe somebody injected himself, overdosed and had to involve medical personnel, then used the tragedy to cover up his stupidity and maybe even engender some sympathy?

maximus otter
 
- Or maybe somebody injected himself, overdosed and had to involve medical personnel, then used the tragedy to cover up his stupidity and maybe even engender some sympathy?

maximus otter

It'd be a bit weird to inject yourself in the middle of a jostling crowd. Pills I could believe.
 
I know this topic is on two threads at once, but I don't see mentioned on either that police confirmed there were no needle injections at the Travis Scott concert tragedy. Since the information that there had been injections came from the cops, this seems a bit irresponsible.
 
Not so many after all.

Following a recent surge in social-media reports of spiking, the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine (IAEM) has said that there have been "relatively few" incidents in emergency departments across the country.

The IAEM said there has been extensive coverage of incidents of members of the public feeling they have been injured with a sharp implement, such as a needle. There have been numerous social-media reports of alleged drink spiking and spiking via injection.

The IAEM noted the "understandable worry" that a toxic substance may have been administered. However, the experience of Irish emergency departments has been that such incidents are "relatively few".

It also said that suggestions that various tests can ascertain what substance has been injected are "ill-informed", as the only purpose of toxicology tests in the emergency department is to assist treatment in those who are acutely unwell.

"Management of needle-stick injuries includes a detailed assessment of the risk of transmission of serious blood-borne infection," The IAEM said.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40743603.html
 
This morning on FB an old school friend had shared a post from her daughter, who went off to Liverpool Uni this term. It was a picture of her daughter's hand with what looks like a needle mark in it. Apparently she was in a club on Wednesday with a bunch of friends, and was pierced in the crowd; she's been in and out of hospital for 2 days having various tests.

Whether it's a prankster or a sexual predator doing this stuff, this just confirms my belief that some people are ARSEHOLES.
 
Something Catseye said above about this `needle panic` - or whatever you want to call it - really rang true for me. She correlated it with the return of mass socialisation after a period of lockdowns and curfews.

It seems to me that you can't confine people to their homes for months on end and then, expect that, after this period people are just going to go out and relate to each other just as before. It seems to me that it would be likely that all kinds of phobias and anxieties would emerge - particularly among the young, for whom society can be a source of anxiety anyway.

if people have been told that it is dangerous to mix with other people for weeks and weeks (owing to the virus) then some of the fear that this would induce could then easily linger and be displaced onto some other object of fear.

Then add to this the fact that needles and injections are somewhat in the news and a part of the very air we breathe now. One can be pro-vaccine and yet still harbour some residual, maybe repressed, worry about being - more or less compulsorily - injected with something.

I want to add that it is possible to get pricked with things entirely by accident. Think about it: lots of people thrashing about in confined spaces. There's plenty of opportunity there for accidental injuries from...zips, jewellery ,little skewers for nibbles...whatever. I can recall having come home from some mass events and finding burn marks on my clothing with no idea as to how they got there. (I don't smoke) In more normal times, these things would go unremarked on.

It is a good tell-take sign that something is (mainly) a myth when it tends to become increasingly more dramatic over time. Indeed, that it what is happening. The `needle panic` has migrated to the States. The tragedy of the Travis Scott concert is already being blamed on security guards supposedly having been drugged by injections....
 
Something Catseye said above about this `needle panic` - or whatever you want to call it - really rang true for me. She correlated it with the return of mass socialisation after a period of lockdowns and curfews.

It seems to me that you can't confine people to their homes for months on end and then, expect that, after this period people are just going to go out and relate to each other just as before. It seems to me that it would be likely that all kinds of phobias and anxieties would emerge - particularly among the young, for whom society can be a source of anxiety anyway.

if people have been told that it is dangerous to mix with other people for weeks and weeks (owing to the virus) then some of the fear that this would induce could then easily linger and be displaced onto some other object of fear.

Then add to this the fact that needles and injections are somewhat in the news and a part of the very air we breathe now. One can be pro-vaccine and yet still harbour some residual, maybe repressed, worry about being - more or less compulsorily - injected with something.

I want to add that it is possible to get pricked with things entirely by accident. Think about it: lots of people thrashing about in confined spaces. There's plenty of opportunity there for accidental injuries from...zips, jewellery ,little skewers for nibbles...whatever. I can recall having come home from some mass events and finding burn marks on my clothing with no idea as to how they got there. (I don't smoke) In more normal times, these things would go unremarked on.

It is a good tell-take sign that something is (mainly) a myth when it tends to become increasingly more dramatic over time. Indeed, that it what is happening. The `needle panic` has migrated to the States. The tragedy of the Travis Scott concert is already being blamed on security guards supposedly having been drugged by injections....
Thank you for making me sound vaguely intelligent, Zeke!
 
Still no confirmed needle attacks.

Gardaí have yet to confirm any ‘spiking by injection’ incidents as they continue to investigate a small number of complaints.

It is understood that gardaí have received fewer than 10 reports related to possible injection spiking, though some of them are thought to be vague in detail.

Separately, the HSE said hospitals have not yet confirmed any cases to them, and health bosses are still waiting to see evidence of it.

Regarding the spiking of drinks — which has sparked campaigns in some colleges — Garda HQ said it has recorded fewer than 25 incidents of ‘spiking’ of drink or food up to November 11 this year. This compares to 10 incidents for all of 2020 — a year when pubs and nightclubs were largely closed.

In recent days, British police chiefs have said that 274 reports of injection spiking were received in the last two months, but there is a lack of detail of any confirmed cases, British media report.

There has been significant speculation on social media in Ireland about injection spiking after women here said they had received unexplained puncture or pin-prick marks on their bodies after attending clubs, and reported feeling disorientated.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-40746843.html
 
Still no confirmed needle attacks.

Gardaí have yet to confirm any ‘spiking by injection’ incidents as they continue to investigate a small number of complaints.

It is understood that gardaí have received fewer than 10 reports related to possible injection spiking, though some of them are thought to be vague in detail.

Separately, the HSE said hospitals have not yet confirmed any cases to them, and health bosses are still waiting to see evidence of it.

Regarding the spiking of drinks — which has sparked campaigns in some colleges — Garda HQ said it has recorded fewer than 25 incidents of ‘spiking’ of drink or food up to November 11 this year. This compares to 10 incidents for all of 2020 — a year when pubs and nightclubs were largely closed.

In recent days, British police chiefs have said that 274 reports of injection spiking were received in the last two months, but there is a lack of detail of any confirmed cases, British media report.

There has been significant speculation on social media in Ireland about injection spiking after women here said they had received unexplained puncture or pin-prick marks on their bodies after attending clubs, and reported feeling disorientated.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-40746843.html
I think the only way to do a proper correlation study would be to see how many people report spiking of drinks or food (and perhaps also by injection) and yet haven't had a single alcoholic drink. After all, it should be just as easy to spike fruit juice, shouldn't it? But how many non-drinkers are reporting spiking... I'm sure some are, of course, but it may be a fairly broadbrush way to establish how many accounts could be due to losing track of how much alcohol has been drunk.
 
I just had this email from the local neighbourhood watch, it came from the West Midlands Police

"As we work hard to develop our understanding of spiking in the West Midlands, we’ve been speaking to scientists about the use of syringes in bars and clubs. And their update should be reassuring.
They told us that because of the body’s natural response to the pain that comes from a needle being pressed into the skin, most people react very quickly to being injected and move away from the pain. This reflex response combined with the time needed to press the syringe plunger, means the opportunity to inject the significant amount of drug needed to have an effect is limited, but not impossible.
And that’s why we still investigate every report – because it is possible people are still using needles or sharp items to injure and scare clubbers. And that’s a crime.
Between 10 and 14 November we investigated 24 reports of people being spiked with drugs
Our new rapid multi-drug test kits were used 22 times over this period.
· Twelve were negative
· Two people declined the offer to provide a sample
· One person was unable to provide a sample
· One is a hospital test that we still have not had the results for
· Four tested positive for THC – a chemical found in cannabis and two tested positive for cocaine. Of these six, one said they had not used drugs (cannabis). The other five told us they had. No further action was taken against those people but they were offered the support of drugs charities to help them stop.
· None of the three people who were spiked with a needle tested positive for drugs

Working closely with the venues where these cases happened, we’ve found no evidence that would help us progress our investigations. So the sooner we and bar staff hear about cases, the better.
Detective Superintendent Sean Phillips, from our Public Protection Unit, said: “The update from experts is reassuring and mirrors what we’ve seen so far in the West Midlands. People may have received needle injuries, but thankfully so far we’ve no evidence of drugs being found in their system and no evidence that further crimes have been committed against them."
 

Hoax turned real? Man tells Chicago Ridge police he was pricked by needle attached to gas pump handle​

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news...0211201-gjl463uqjjavtj4nk4l5apdree-story.html

Police say the man reported being punctured by a needle affixed to the trigger of a gas pump nozzle shortly after 7 p.m. Monday at a Chicago Ridge gas station. At the base of the needle, which had been stuck to the gas nozzle trigger with an adhesive, there was an “unknown” white powder, it said.

Note that this "needle" can't inject anything. It really does look like a prank.

262009859_221479390127662_5671479845327267667_n.jpg
 
When I was at my worst in my late teens, I came back to Bournemouth after a couple weeks in Cork with my family trying to detox (obviously horrific and I won't go into all that) and that was when I was homeless. I got on that flight from Cork airport knowing I was going back to nothing, but I had my learning curve and even the bad experiences teach you valuable lessons so it's not all sad guys!

Anyway, again without going into too much detail, sleeping in a multi-story car park for a year I of course met all the weird and strange people of the homeless and addict world of Dorset, some nice, some were the scum of the earth. But I saw this first hand, the lazy disposing of needles, there was a story that stuck in my mind about needles bursting out of a drain near Bournemouth beach! I also saw a homeless guy one night who used to inject then put the needle in the little air vent in the public toilet cubicle, so he had to stand on the toilet and poke it through the vents with his fingers, and I looked in through the vents and it was absolutely filled with old needles! Really lazy and disgusting, there is no excuse when the exchange supplies are so good in Bournemouth. And that air vent panel was (is still?) directly above someone sat on the public toilet (not a nice prospect in itself lol!)
 
A senior police officer has said Police Scotland has found no evidence of any cases in Scotland where someone has been "spiked by injection".

Last autumn, Police Scotland - and other forces around the UK - received reports from people who reported being spiked with needles on nights out.

But Det Ch Supt Laura McLuckie told the police watchdog the force had found no evidence to support the claims.

She said forensic analysis had found no traces of drugs used for spiking.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-60069229
 
A possibly genuine case of multiple drink-spiking:

Everett Bar Owner Pleads Not Guilty To Rapes

“A 35-year-old Everett [Washington, USA] bar owner has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of felony sexual assault.

A judge on Tuesday maintained bail at $1 million for Christian Sayre, who has owned The Anchor Pub since 2014. He remained in Snohomish County Jail as of Tuesday evening.

Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office charged Sayre with two counts of second-degree rape and eight counts of indecent liberties.

Everett police arrested Sayre on Friday for the second time in several months after additional customers came forward accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting them.”

https://www.courttv.com/news/everett-bar-owner-pleads-not-guilty-to-rapes/

This might be interesting.

maximus otter
 
A possibly genuine case of multiple drink-spiking:

Everett Bar Owner Pleads Not Guilty To Rapes

“A 35-year-old Everett [Washington, USA] bar owner has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of felony sexual assault.

A judge on Tuesday maintained bail at $1 million for Christian Sayre, who has owned The Anchor Pub since 2014. He remained in Snohomish County Jail as of Tuesday evening.

Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office charged Sayre with two counts of second-degree rape and eight counts of indecent liberties.

Everett police arrested Sayre on Friday for the second time in several months after additional customers came forward accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting them.”

https://www.courttv.com/news/everett-bar-owner-pleads-not-guilty-to-rapes/

This might be interesting.

maximus otter
Drink spiking is a real and dangerous thing. Needle spiking I still do not believe in.
 
No evidence found in RoI.

Gardaí received almost 40 reports of alleged ‘spiking by injection’ cases in 2021 but they have not yet found evidence confirming substances were injected by possible assailants.

The development follows a statement by Police Scotland at the end of last week that no cases of spiking by injection had been identified by them to date.

Gardaí have stressed, as have police in Britain, that they treat any reports seriously and will investigate them properly. ...

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, Garda HQ said: “An Garda Síochána has confirmed that it has received a number of reports (39 in total), relating to allegations of ‘spiking by injections’, specifically during the last quarter of 2021.” It said there had been no reports so far this year.

“An Garda Síochána has taken all these reports seriously and investigations are ongoing to determine the exact nature of each incident.

“While investigations continue, to date, An Garda Síochána has not determined conclusively that any reported incident of potential ‘drug spiking’ was as a direct result of ‘spiking by injection’.” The statement said An Garda Síochána continued to engage with partner agencies, such as the HSE, the HPSC (Health Protection Surveillance Centre) and the HPRA (Health Products Regulatory Authority) in monitoring the current reporting of these matters for any identified patterns.

It said: “An Garda Síochána does not comment on behalf of other agencies but understands that this pattern has not been identified by medical professionals at this time.” Health sources have also told the Irish Examiner that there have not been any reports from hospitals or other centres regarding any drugs being present in suspected spiking by injection cases. ...

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40792437.html
 
I just had this email from the local neighbourhood watch, it came from the West Midlands Police

"As we work hard to develop our understanding of spiking in the West Midlands, we’ve been speaking to scientists about the use of syringes in bars and clubs. And their update should be reassuring.
They told us that because of the body’s natural response to the pain that comes from a needle being pressed into the skin, most people react very quickly to being injected and move away from the pain. This reflex response combined with the time needed to press the syringe plunger, means the opportunity to inject the significant amount of drug needed to have an effect is limited, but not impossible.
And that’s why we still investigate every report – because it is possible people are still using needles or sharp items to injure and scare clubbers. And that’s a crime.
Between 10 and 14 November we investigated 24 reports of people being spiked with drugs
Our new rapid multi-drug test kits were used 22 times over this period.
· Twelve were negative
· Two people declined the offer to provide a sample
· One person was unable to provide a sample
· One is a hospital test that we still have not had the results for
· Four tested positive for THC – a chemical found in cannabis and two tested positive for cocaine. Of these six, one said they had not used drugs (cannabis). The other five told us they had. No further action was taken against those people but they were offered the support of drugs charities to help them stop.
· None of the three people who were spiked with a needle tested positive for drugs

Working closely with the venues where these cases happened, we’ve found no evidence that would help us progress our investigations. So the sooner we and bar staff hear about cases, the better.
Detective Superintendent Sean Phillips, from our Public Protection Unit, said: “The update from experts is reassuring and mirrors what we’ve seen so far in the West Midlands. People may have received needle injuries, but thankfully so far we’ve no evidence of drugs being found in their system and no evidence that further crimes have been committed against them."
Police do seem to be putting a lot of resources into investigating this. And yet, you can be burgled, have photographic and film evidence of the burglars, who leave DNA and fingerprints behind, and the police are shrugging and not investigating.

I'm just puzzled as to why? I mean, even if someone WERE to be found to have been definitely injected with something, they're going to have a job finding the culprit, as it's usually at a distance of time, and sometimes even geographical distance too. I suppose, as a woman who actually goes, you know, out, I should be glad but...
 
Police do seem to be putting a lot of resources into investigating this. And yet, you can be burgled, have photographic and film evidence of the burglars, who leave DNA and fingerprints behind, and the police are shrugging and not investigating.

I'm just puzzled as to why? I mean, even if someone WERE to be found to have been definitely injected with something, they're going to have a job finding the culprit, as it's usually at a distance of time, and sometimes even geographical distance too. I suppose, as a woman who actually goes, you know, out, I should be glad but...
The fact that the police and venues are taking notice might discourage offenders from doing it.
It's not trivial. Sooner or later someone could be seriously hurt or killed. Dirty syringes are no joke.
 
Here's a news update with statistics on UK needle panic reports and a claim the problem currently seems to be UK-specific.
1,382 reports of spiking by injection since September as police warn of ‘new phenomenon’

Almost 1,400 incidents of needle spiking have been reported in the UK in just five months, a police chief revealed as he warned of the dangerous “new phenomenon”.

Deputy Chief Constable Jason Harwin, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for drugs, said 1,382 reports of people being spiked by injection had been made to police forces since September.

Police are also investigating 14 secondary offences believed to be linked to needle spiking, including sexual assault and theft.

By contrast, there were 1,903 crimes that could be related to spiking – either by needle or drink spiking – in the whole of 2019, Mr Harwin told MPs. ...

The Lincolnshire Police Deputy Chief Constable admitted the UK had an issue with the “new phenomenon” – which he said had not been seen anywhere else in the world. ...
FULL STORY: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/injection-spiking-needle-reports-uk-b2001138.html
 
Police do seem to be putting a lot of resources into investigating this. And yet, you can be burgled, have photographic and film evidence of the burglars, who leave DNA and fingerprints behind, and the police are shrugging and not investigating.

I'm just puzzled as to why? I mean, even if someone WERE to be found to have been definitely injected with something, they're going to have a job finding the culprit, as it's usually at a distance of time, and sometimes even geographical distance too. I suppose, as a woman who actually goes, you know, out, I should be glad but...
Oh yes, the very same police force refused to come out when we saw someone climbing into kitchen window of the flat opposite us many years ago. (We knew who lived there and it wasn't any of them*) The reason? We weren't sure of the flat number. We thought we knew what it was, there were only two flats on that floor but not sure which one was which. My partner was on the phone whilst it was happening and I was able to video it, but even when we sent the evidence in, nothing happened.

*important to note as we may have also called the police last year when we saw someone dressed all in black, with their face hidden, smashing the back window of a property near us and climbing in. Turns out they lived there and had locked themselves out. Ironically on this occasion, the police did come quickly.....
 
The fact that the police and venues are taking notice might discourage offenders from doing it.
It's not trivial. Sooner or later someone could be seriously hurt or killed. Dirty syringes are no joke.
But there don't seem to actually be any syringes involved. There's a lot of people saying they've been spiked but when it's investigated there's no sign of any injection actually taking place. I guess that doesn't rule out the odd nutter just jabbing people randomly with a needle, but you don't need a syringe for that, an ordinary sewing needle will produce the same result.
 
…the UK had an issue with the “new phenomenon” – which he said had not been seen anywhere else in the world.

FULL STORY: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/injection-spiking-needle-reports-uk-b2001138.html

Because it’s hysterical media reporting fuelling hysterical public reporting.

Jabbing women with needles because you’ve read about it, and you’re weird? That l can believe.

Accessing an effective chemical, smuggling it into a club/pub, finding a victim who won’t notice an intramuscular injection immediately, spending twenty or thirty seconds injecting a worthwhile (and carefully-judged in terms of dose/weight) quantity of the compound while remaining undetected, then managing to stay in contact with your victim until the compound takes effect (and hopefully doesn’t kill her)?

Nonsense.

lt’s the “Satanic ritual abuse”/“Bogus Social Workers” scare de nos jours.

maximus otter
 
Because it’s hysterical media reporting fuelling hysterical public reporting.

Jabbing women with needles because you’ve read about it, and you’re weird? That l can believe.

Accessing an effective chemical, smuggling it into a club/pub, finding a victim who won’t notice an intramuscular injection immediately, spending twenty or thirty seconds injecting a worthwhile (and carefully-judged in terms of dose/weight) quantity of the compound while remaining undetected, then managing to stay in contact with your victim until the compound takes effect (and hopefully doesn’t kill her)?

Nonsense.

lt’s the “Satanic ritual abuse”/“Bogus Social Workers” scare de nos jours.

maximus otter
There is/was a thing that caused media hysteria back in Victorian times of stabbing females in the buttocks with needles, pins etc. One of the Ripper suspects used to do it (allegedly).

How many times did it actually happen back then? Probably far less than reported (and the opposite of the usual run of sexual abuse which is seriously under-reported). At a tangent, it may well be the media hysteria over the Whitechapel murders - including the invention from whole cloth of the 'Jack the Ripper' persona - that prevented the murders from being solved.

Piquerism - stabbing a partner with sharp/pointed objects to get sexual release - is a real thing, if thankfully rare. The Victorian version was more specific.
 
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But there don't seem to actually be any syringes involved. There's a lot of people saying they've been spiked but when it's investigated there's no sign of any injection actually taking place. I guess that doesn't rule out the odd nutter just jabbing people randomly with a needle, but you don't need a syringe for that, an ordinary sewing needle will produce the same result.
Is that definitely the case? Reports I have read have only mentioned the lack of drugs in the system, not the lack of an injection site. That should be quite easy to locate you would think. If they felt themselves being jabbed, then they must know where the mark would be.
 
Is that definitely the case? Reports I have read have only mentioned the lack of drugs in the system, not the lack of an injection site. That should be quite easy to locate you would think. If they felt themselves being jabbed, then they must know where the mark would be.

A stock photo of a therapeutic injection bruise:

alcohol-and-humira-injection-bruise.jpg


I’ve read accounts by women who mention “pinpricks” and “scratches”; the above image depicts the result of an injection that delivered a meaningful quantity of medication.

Anyone who wouldn’t notice this, or its administration, doesn’t require any further medication!

maximus otter
 
Is that definitely the case? Reports I have read have only mentioned the lack of drugs in the system, not the lack of an injection site. That should be quite easy to locate you would think. If they felt themselves being jabbed, then they must know where the mark would be.
Any reports I've seen have only mentioned that people 'felt that they'd been injected', presumably they checked out the site where the person thought they'd been injected and found no sign of injection.
 
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