A TEENAGE victim in a wave of “syringe stabbings” at a French festival has said the attack left her feeling “sick and scared”.
Around 145 revellers, largely teen girls, are said to have been stabbed with hypodermic needles across the weekend sending dozens to hospital.
One victim – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – was pricked on the back of her left arm in central Paris at the weekend.
Aged just 15, she assaulted at the the country-wide street festival Fête de la Musique (Music Party) on Saturday night.
She told The Sun: “I was absolutely terrified.
“I felt a sharp sensation in my arm, and then realised I’d been attacked with a syringe.
“My older sister and friends got me to a hospital as quickly, but it was hours before tests could be carried out.
“Thankfully, I was given the all clear, but still felt really ill and scared.”
The stabbings happened across France with 13 jabbed in Paris after “unprecedented crowds” hit the capital, according to cops.
Disgusting calls on social media had spread before the festival calling for women to be stabbed, according to Le Monde.
Some victims were taken to hospital for toxicology tests after fears they could have been injected with a mystery poison.
French cops have arrested 12 people over the sick act but none have been been charged, a police source said.
The sick craze appears to be a revival of a horror nightclub fad where mainly male teenagers intimidated girls with alleged injections of notorious date rape drugs, such as GHB.
Investigating officers and medical experts said the syringes are in fact usually empty and simply used to strike fear into huge groups of people.
Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of health and well-being agency Doctissimo, said the craze for “needlestick attacks in crowds made a comeback this weekend”.
He said: “In 2022, a similar movement took place in nightclubs and festivals, causing a fear of GHB attacks.”
Dr. Kierzek said the reported “pricks” were rarely made with real syringes, explaining: “They are often compasses, sewing needles, or homemade sharp objects.
“These tools can certainly cause injury, but do not allow for effective injections or true viral transmission.”
Dr. Kierzek said it was “theoretically possible” for drugs to be injected into random strangers in crowds but unlikely.
The doctor explained: “Injecting an active substance requires precision, sufficient volume, and hygienic conditions… conditions that are difficult to achieve in a crowd or a concert hall.”
In 2021, a terrified student in Nottingham was spiked with a needle in a nightclub.
It came amid reports of other women being injected with a mystery liquid in a string of shock attacks.
University of Nottingham student Zara Owen, 19, was out with friends at Pryzm nightclub on October 11.
She said she entered the club and made her way to the bar – but that is the last thing she can remember before waking up in her bed the next day.
What to do if someone has spiked you?
If you are the victim of a spiking you should act immediately to ensure you and those around you are safe.
The Metropolitan Police say that if you fear others are in danger you should immediately call 999.
You should also get yourself to safety and take the following steps:
- Tell the people you’re with, so that they can look after you.
- Alert a member of staff or security if you’re in a bar, club or at a festival.
- Make sure you are somewhere where you feel safe, for example, by asking a friend to take you home or stay with you.
- Don’t go home on your own or leave with someone you don’t know.
- Drink some water, but don’t try to flush out any drugs or alcohol by drinking lots of water.
If you or the victim begins to feel unwell, you should seek medical attention and call an ambulance if any symptoms get worse.
You may need to get forensically tested to ensure you have not been given a drugs or some other chemical or biological containment and to ensure those who have done any jabbing are caught.
This may happen through a blood or urine test and can happen at a sexual assault referral centre (SARC) if you believe you have been sexually assaulted.
Some drugs leave the body within 12 hours or much sooner.
It’s important to report spiking to police as soon as possible, so they can take a sample that could be used for testing.
Many other drugs stay in the body longer, so cops may be able to test you up to four days after the incident.
