Needle spiking: 31 cases reported to Sussex Police in the last month

According to Sussex Police, dozens of women and men have recently reported needle sticking and drinks tampering.

Since October 19, there have been 31 cases of needle sticking reported to Sussex Police.

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An additional 63 cases of drink tampering have also been reported since the beginning of October.

Brighton and Hove Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw said police continue to investigate all reports of needle sticking and drinks tampering following a string of incidents in the city.

“Not only are we following a number of lines of enquiry to catch any perpetrators and bring them to justice, our prevention activity alongside licensed venues is still well underway,” he said.

Three men have been arrested in connection with drink spiking and needle sticking.

Last week, an 18-year-old man from Brighton was taken into custody as part of the investigation.

It followed the arrests of two men – a 28-year-old from Hove and a 19-year-old from Brighton – for the same offence.

The trio were taken into custody on suspicion of administering poison or a noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy.

Superintendent Burtenshaw said police continue to “maintain targeted, visible patrols around the night-time economy every night of the week”.

“Officers conduct unannounced licence checks to make sure venues are adhering to their responsibilities,” he said.

“Our Licensing Team is in contact with venue operators on a daily basis to support their efforts in keeping their customers safe.

“Please be assured that we take all reports incredibly seriously and ask anybody who believes they may have been a victim to let police or bar staff know as soon as possible so they can be tested before potential drugs leave their system and evidence can be gathered.”

Sussex Police initially said it received two reports from women feeling unwell after nights out in Brighton on Tuesday, October 26.

In the following days, four women reported having been injected while out in Brighton city centre.

A woman also reported being injected on a night out in Eastbourne on Saturday.

It follows reports of other “spiking” incidents in several parts of the country, including Nottingham and Exeter.

The Government website Talk to Frank offers guidance on spiking and can be accessed here https://www.talktofrank.com/news/spiking.