Four complaints have been filed by festival-goers of Printemps de Bourges, saying they have been victims of “stings” during concerts, franceinfo learned this Saturday morning from the Bourges prosecutor’s office, confirming information from Berry Républicain. An investigation is underway.
According to France Bleu Berry, the victims did not experience any particular symptoms and were not subjected to violence. They were quickly taken care of by civil protection once the bites were observed, then they were put in contact with the police to file a complaint and take blood samples. Analyzes are in progress.
The festival management has indicated that it has reinforced the security system and called for the collective vigilance of festival-goers. Staff are deployed to monitor the areas that receive the most people during the last concerts.
These complaints are in addition to others across France since March, mainly in nightclubs. 23 reports to the courts were thus made in Nantes, including 17 complaints. Eight complaints were also filed in Grenoble and Saint-Ismier (Isère), 10 in Béziers (Hérault), and 1 in Amiens (Somme).
A case of hospitalization
Some plaintiffs explain that they suddenly felt unwell, sometimes with nausea, malaise or loss of balance: symptoms that were not very serious, however, with the exception of the case of a victim in Amiens at the beginning of April, who was hospitalized following to a “sting”.
Through the various investigations carried out in France, several toxicological analyzes have been carried out but have not yet made it possible to find traces of narcotics, except recently in Grenoble. A young man, who found a bruise with a red dot in the middle of the back of his knee in mid-April, said he went to hospital. Traces of GHB were detected in his body, reports France Bleu Isère. He has not yet filed a complaint.
Among the victims, both women and men, none reported sexual assault or rape in parallel with these “bites”. Only one of the complainants in Isère indicates that his telephone and bank card were stolen at the time of the events.