REVELLERS enjoying themselves in the run up to Christmas have been warned to be on their guard following incidents of so called ‘spiking’ in Tunbridge Wells.
Police were called on Saturday to a popular town centre night spot – the Pitcher & Piano on Church Road – when at least five women and two men were spiked with drugs, including opioids. These are substances that act to produce morphine-like effects.
Typically, the drugs are injected into the body or slipped into a person’s drink without their knowledge or permission. It is not known what the motives are behind the spiking attacks.
Tunbridge Wells resident, Casey Thomson, took to social media to explain how she was injected by an unknown substance and posted a picture of the puncture wound on Instagram.
She wrote: “Girls please be careful, I got injected at Pitcher & Piano on Saturday night.
“It felt like a sharp pinch in my arm, looks like a small mosquito bite and I passed out within seconds.
“Luckily my amazing friends were there so nothing more could happen. Please just stay with people and be careful.”
She later added: “The people that are doing this are sick. A normal Saturday night with friends turned into one surrounded by police and four hours in hospital.”
An unnamed man has also reported to police that he believes he was injected by a substance on at the same nightclub on the same night, while three other young clubbers were also victims of spiking in their drinks.
One young woman, who we have chosen not to name, told the Times: “Everyone in our group was drinking, but no one looked, or seemed extremely drunk.
“When we left, I can’t remember anything – a boy in the group got home and started shaking and violently threw up. He got a lift to hospital with family members and was shaking lots with his eyes rolling back in his head.
“He had to have a CT scan and the hospital nurses said it looks like it could be opioids.”
She said she believes all members in the group, including her, were spiked as all suffered similar symptoms.
A petition has now been created on website change.org to ask Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to ensure all guests are searched at the Pitcher and Piano and other night spots in the town. It has already gathered around 200 signatures.
Kent Police say they were called to the Pitcher & Piano following reports of the spiking incidents, which occurred between midnight and 3am.
A spokesperson for the force said there were three incidents involving a group of three women, a group of two women and a man, and a single man.
He said: “One of the women reported feeling a pain in one arm and one of the men has since located what he believes to be a syringe mark on his arm.
“No further offences were reported against the victims, who are in their late teens and 20s, and none of the complainants witnessed or recovered needles.”
Ch Insp Lizzie Jones, Tunbridge Wells district commander, added: “Investigators are working with this venue and carrying out enquiries into the circumstances including a review of CCTV footage.
“We take all reported incidents seriously and officers from our dedicated Community Safety Unit work closely with the town’s night-time venues to make them hostile places for those who may seek to exploit others and ensure members of staff recognise the signs of spiking and other criminal behaviour that might take place.
“Every incident reported to us is thoroughly investigated to identify any suspects and provide support and assurance to victims.
“We continue to encourage people to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to security staff in the first instance, to ensure immediate action can be taken and everyone can continue to socialise safely.
“Please remember that there is always help and support available if you need it, including via the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme where women can discreetly alert staff if they feel uneasy about a person they are with and require intervention.”
Nobody at Marstons, which runs the Pitcher & Piano in Tunbridge Wells, was available to comment.
