Five months in prison for Netherlands' first confirmed case of needle spiking

The court sentenced a 31-year-old man from Georgia to five months in prison for the first confirmed incident of needle spiking in the Netherlands. The court considered it proven that the man injected a woman with a substance at a festival in The Hague last month, leaving her dizzy and feeling unwell, NU.nl reports.

The incident happened at The Hague Outdoor dance festival in the Zuiderpark on June 18. The man was arrested at the scene. Police found a hypodermic needle on him, which further investigation showed contained substances found in cocaine, heroin, and cutting agents.

Several witnesses saw the 31-year-old man with no fixed residents stab several people with the needle. He was prosecuted for one incident.

The woman went to medical services after a witness saw the man jab her with a needle. Medics found a red dot on her leg which they concluded was "almost certainly" a puncture hole. The woman felt dizzy and was taken to a hospital for observation. She did not lose consciousness.

The suspect acknowledged that he had a needle and syringe with him but said he never stabbed anyone with it. He said he had the syringe with him because he was suffering from toothache. "I'm being accused of something I didn't do," he said.