British police announced on Friday that they had arrested three men suspected of attempting to administer illicit substances to young people with needles, after a wave of testimonies from students claiming to have been drugged by this means in nightclubs.
The practice of inserting drugs into a victim's drink has been known for years.
But in recent days, many young women and some young men have denounced assaults in bars and nightclubs using hypodermic needles, causing fear in the United Kingdom.
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Police in Nottinghamshire, in northern England, said they had arrested two men as part of their investigation into incidents of '
needle
sticks' in the town.
The young people, aged 18 and 19, are suspected of having planned to drug people "
with the intention of harming them, annoying them or injuring them
", said the police, specifying to have received since September 12 complaints for "
suspected bites with a sharp object
" in nightclubs.
Bites and bruises
In neighboring Lincolnshire, police arrested a 35-year-old man early in the morning on suspicion of possessing drugs with the intention of administering them, after receiving help from nightclub staff.
Testimonies have mushroomed after two University of Nottingham students took to the UK media, displaying their needle marks and bruises on their skin.
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Zara Owen, a freshman, said she woke up after a night out with hazy memories and a sharp pain in her leg, where she spotted a prick.
Sarah Buckle, in second grade, was taken to hospital by her friends after collapsing suddenly during a night out.
She then discovered a bruise on her hand with a dark mark in the center, which she showed on Channel 4 News.
British police say they are investigating dozens of similar attacks, as students prepare a series of boycotts of some nightclubs and bars, calling for increased security at the entrance and better protection.