The Hague festival needle-spiking suspect jailed for five months

A 31-year-old Georgian man has been jailed for five months for jabbing a woman with a hypodermic needle during a festival in The Hague in June.

Levan V was found guilty of stabbing the woman in the thigh, in what has become the first official needle spiking case in the Netherlands.

The public prosecutor had called for a three month jail term, saying the attack was a ‘serious breach of bodily integrity’ and that the punishment should give a clear signal to others.

Several people are said to have seen the man prick people with the syringe during the festival, but he is being prosecuted for a single incident. Medical officials found a small red mark on the victim’s leg which is ‘almost certainly’ an injection site, the public prosecution department said.

V was arrested during the festival and found to have a syringe with him. Forensic tests showed it contained traces of cocaine, heroin and a cutting agent.

According to the Telegraaf’s court reporter Saskia Belleman, the suspect’s lawyer has argued that no dna test had been carried out on the syringe to link it to the victim. He also disputes the findings of the medical team at the festival who identified the injection mark and says eye witnesses did not describe the victim.

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V has admitted having the syringe but said it was for his own use because he was suffering from toothache. He denied using it to inject anybody else with drugs and has said he will appeal against the ruling.