A woman's heart 'sank' when she took a close look at a bruise on her leg.
Samantha was on a night out in Liverpool when she had a "scary" experience she described as "memory block", losing hours from her memory. She told the ECHO: "I've never felt this memory block ever in my life, where one minute I'm in the club and the next it's the next day."
The 26-year-old, who asked to only be identified by her first name, spotted a "purple and green" bruise on her leg the following morning. She said: "My first thought was, 'I must have fell or bumped into something'. Your first, initial thought is not someone violating you. You don't go to the worst case scenario. I glanced at the bruise and just put my clothes back on."
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A closer inspection revealed a small bump with a hole near the middle of the bruise. It looked to Samantha like a "needle puncture", leading her to suspect she'd been "injected with some substance". The mental health worker said: "It's like that bit in horror movies when your heart sinks, and then you feel stupid as well because you feel like you should've realised. I feel like I've been too trusting and too naïve, but the whole time, red flags were in my face."
By the time Samantha joined the dots, it was already a week after the night in question - Saturday, August 20. Although she visited hospital, it was too late to gather crucial medical evidence. The 72-hour window for taking PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), which can stop you from contracting HIV after being exposed to the virus, had also passed.
Although it's possible to contract HIV from unsterilised needles, the "fragile virus" can't survive long outside the body. This means "getting HIV from a needle injury is extremely rare", with "no confirmed cases of HIV infections from needle stick injuries in the UK since 1999", according to the National AIDS Trust.
Treatments have advanced to the point where medication suppresses the virus to such an extent people live long, healthy lives and cannot pass the virus from one person to the next. But Samantha still faces a three-month wait to know for certain whether she's been exposed to any virus or disease. She said: "It's something I worry about every day now."
She reported the suspected spiking to Merseyside Police on Sunday, August 28, before withdrawing her support for the investigation due to stress and her feeling "the investigation won't go anywhere" due to the lack of medical evidence. Merseyside Police told the ECHO this move would result in the investigation being closed, but, urging witnesses to come forward, the force said it will reinvestigate the case "should any new evidence or information come to light".
Samantha hasn't been out since the realisation dawned on her, and she can't see herself doing so any time soon, telling the ECHO: "It's just scary. I'm never going to be able to let my hair down again in a nightclub or somewhere busy and dark. It's just not going to be the same experience."
The 26-year-old added: "I just feel really powerless and sad. I feel like this has happened to me and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm only feeling better because I'm trying to campaign against it and I'm using my time to do that instead."
New to activism, Samantha has started sharing posts on Instagram highlighting the harm of spiking, how to recognise the signs of spiking, and support available for victims. She's also encouraging venues in the city to sign up for safety training as part of a safe place project run by The Egalitarian blog.
Samantha is campaigning under the banner of 'Girls Night In Liverpool', reviving the name of a movement started last autumn amid an apparent surge in spikings, during which Merseyside Police received 83 reports of drink spiking and 'spiking by injection' in two months.
The rise in reports sparked alarm and outrage, leading some to boycott clubs to pressure them into improving safety measures by holding a 'Girls Night In'. At the time, doubts were raised about the claims of spiking by injection spreading across social media, in part due to the difficulty administering them without being noticed, and because many victims don't report it, or report it after any drugs have left their body, Vice reports.
But that uncertainty is part of what drives the fear around it, with Samantha describing her experience as "terrifying". She said: "It's like a silent crime. It's something you can do in the dark in a crowded place and you can't get caught."
With people being "really supportive online", she plans to put up awareness posters and donate anti-spiking caps, saying: "Little things like that make a difference. Venues should be giving out these things when you buy a drink, it should be an option."
Samantha said: "I just want people to be inspired. Even though this has happened to me, I'm trying to stand up for myself. Loads of people don't report this or they just stay silent about it, but it's good to stand up for yourself. This is how change comes about."
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: "If you have been a victim of a recent spiking or think you have been spiked please report it to police as soon as possible. We work extensively with our partners across Merseyside including public health, local authorities, universities and licensed premises, ensuring that we have a joined-up public health approach to tackling the issue.
"We need to know about every possible spiking so we can investigate, even if no other crime has taken place. If you are out in a bar or club, you can report to a member of staff, who will be able to help and support you. If you are injured or have symptoms you are worried about after being spiked, call 111. If you think you’ve been sexually assaulted, go to your nearest sexual assault referral centre (SARC) for specialist care and support."
If you've been affected by crime and need confidential support or information, you can call Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111. To report to police, you can visit police.uk.
If you witnessed this incident, or have any information, you can contact Merseyside Police's social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC, or Facebook at 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' with any information, using the crime reference number 22000639086. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form here.
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