Birmingham student stabbed with a needle during freshers week

Two Birmingham students were stabbed with medical needles at separate fresher events.

The events were part of the uni's official Refreshers Fest.

Second-year Classics student Kirsty Knell was targeted with a needle at Rosie’s on September 27th.

Knell, who was dancing with her boyfriend at the time of the assault, recalls feeling a sharp pain in her upper spine which caused her to back into a column for protection. She was treated by the club medic.

She was told to visit her GP by first and family. The following morning, the practitioner diagnosed Knell with a needlestick injury and referred her to the Queen Elizabeth's Accident and Emergency department.

She spent six hours in A&E doing multiple blood tests but had to travel to Kettering hospital's A&E where her mother works as a nurse.

The journey from the Birmingham hospital to Kettering is over an hours drive.

Speaking to TNS, Knell told us that this has happened before.

“When I went to the GP, he said that this type of incident has happened before. He seemed very sure it was a needle stick injury and not merely a safety pin like my friends had suggested. There was no suggestion of what might have been on/in the needle.

"Thursday was purely a student night and most of the people attending were UoB students which makes me feel very uncomfortable going on more nights out."

In the same week, another University of Birmingham student was targeted by a needle attack at the University of Birmingham's guild night Fab ‘n Fresh.

The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, was attacked on Saturday 29th September during a freshers club night.

Since the incident, Knell is being administered a course of hepatitis B jabs. The test results have come back as normal but Knell has been told that some symptoms may take time to show up.

Both students have reported the attacks to the University of Birmingham's Guild of Students and the police.