“After being spiked by a needle, I’m fighting for safer nightlife”: Crawley woman launches petition calling for mandatory CCTV in all venue corridors

Mollie Penfold, who was out with friends at nightclub in London, says she was injected with an unknown substance while walking through a stairwell with no camera coverage. Moments later, she began to feel unwell, disoriented, and with no memory of her actions until the next morning.

“When I woke up that next morning, I knew something wasn’t right,” she recalls. “It wasn’t the alcohol. This felt completely different, and completely out of my control.”

After spotting a bruise on the back of her arm, she reported the incident to the police immediately. But despite taking her statement and opening an investigation, officers ultimately closed the case a month later due to a lack of CCTV in the exact area where the spiking occurred.

“Because the stairwell wasn’t monitored, there was no evidence, no suspect — and no hope of getting justice.”

The closure of the case has left her grappling with anxiety, hypervigilance, and a sense of deep injustice.

“Being told the investigation couldn’t continue made me feel like I’d been left to deal with the aftermath on my own. No one should go through that. And no one should be spiked simply because a venue didn’t cover its blind spots.”

A Campaign for Change

Determined to prevent this from happening to anyone else, she has launched a petition urging the government to require all establishments that already have CCTV to extend their coverage to include all corridors, stairwells, and access routes leading to toilets—areas that are often used opportunistically by perpetrators precisely because they are unmonitored.

She stresses that this is not a call for invasive surveillance inside bathrooms, but for basic safety measures in public-access areas where vulnerable patrons can be isolated.

“If venues choose to install CCTV, it should be comprehensive enough to protect the people using the space. A few extra cameras can be the difference between catching an offender and a case being dropped.”

Her local MP, Peter Lamb, has expressed support for the initiative and is sharing the petition to help it gain national visibility.

A Growing National Problem

Needle spiking, although still less common than drink spiking, has been increasingly reported in nightlife settings across the UK. Campaigners and police forces alike have warned that dimly lit corridors, stairwells, and bottleneck areas often give perpetrators the perfect opportunity to assault individuals undetected.

Her petition aims to close these gaps, arguing that CCTV should not only deter offenders but also allow police to investigate cases properly when they occur.

“Too many people are being left without answers because vital areas aren’t covered. We deserve better. We deserve to feel safe.”

How You Can Help

The petition is now live and gathering signatures. She hopes that with enough public support, the government will take action and introduce nationwide requirements that make venues safer for everyone.

“This happened to me in seconds,” she says. “But the effects have lasted for months. If we can stop even one person going through what I went through, it’s worth it.”

Readers can view and sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/745385