An unusual case of a double casualty during sexual intercourse

Sudden death during sexual activity is generally caused by natural diseases, like coronary sclerosis and myocardial infarction. Only a few case reports describe outer circumstances as responsible for the fatal outcome. This is a case report of a couple that drowned within a car sinking into a river. The extraordinary scenery led to the supposition that sexual intercourse was involved with these fatalities. The victims--a young woman and a young man, both had children, the man was married--kept up an extramarital liaison. Both were reported missing by their relatives days before the corpses could be recovered.     

Gender differences in perceptions for women's participation in unwanted sexual intercourse

This article examines the reasons that women and men give in explaining why women willingly agree to sexual intimacy when they would rather not be intimate at that time. Data collected from a sample of students on a southern campus included a set of scales which measured the beliefs about why women consent to unwanted sexual intercourse held by men and women. The findings indicated that most sexual intercourse was consensual and mutually desired. Perceived reasons for consent to unwanted sex by women varied for men and women, as did the ranking of relative importance of the reasons. Some support was found for the contention that compliance might be a function of gender socialization.     

Death related to aortic coarctation in a young female during sexual intercourse

Coarctation of the aorta (CA) is diagnosed mainly in pediatric patients, and therapy is conservative if asymptomatic, but surgical treatment is required if advanced arterial hypertension is present. Moderate to severe forms contraindicate any type of physical activity requiring cardiac effort. Here, we describe the first documented death of an apparently healthy 35-year-old woman because of cardiac tamponade by rupture of an aortic aneurysm, possibly related to congenital CA, prolonged use of oxymetazoline hydrochloride, and physical and/or emotional stress during sexual activity. Our patient was asymptomatic for classical CA symptoms. The patient's breathing difficulties likely in hindsight were due not so much to nasal congestion, but rather to an ineffective oxygenation of the blood from the abnormal heart. In an attempt to treat the "nasal disease," the patient ingested chronic and excessive doses of decongestants, aggravating her fatal disease. The danger of inhaling large doses of nasal decongestants without an appropriate medical indication is highlighted here.     

Age of greatest risk for victimization by forced sexual intercourse: Vulnerability of high school women

Data were collected from three studies over an eight–year period, which produced a sample of 868 female college students at a southern university. The three data sets were combined to permit an assessment of the extent to which reported victimization occurred among students before coming to the university rather than during their college experience, and to examine the nature of force in intimate relationships among maturing adolescents. About half of the subjects reported that their last victimization occurred while in high school, thus they were younger and less mature at the time of their victimizations. The researchers note that these two factors raise concern as adolescent girls may not be prepared to adequately define or protect themselves from inappropriate use of force in dating relationships, as the literature reports that both the development of sexuality and a redefinition of the use of force in childhood play are occurring at this point in their development, increasing the potential for victimization.     

The examination of vaginally inserted plastic tampon applicators for genetic markers and evidence of prior sexual intercourse

Vaginally inserted plastic tampon applicators were obtained from 42 female volunteers. The applicators were examined for the presence of ABH blood group substances, phosphoglucomutase (PGM), amylase, acid phosphatase, P30, and intact spermatozoa. Each applicator was accompanied by a control blood sample, a saliva specimen, a brief sexual and menstrual history, and method of birth control of the donor. Eight of the male sexual partners of the donors submitted blood and saliva samples. One male sexual partner submitted only a saliva sample. ABH blood group substances corresponding to the donor were recovered from 36 of the 42 applicators. The remaining 6 applicators revealed a combination of the donor's and sexual partner's ABH substances. The female's PGM type was recovered from 34 of the applicators. The remaining 8 applicators failed to show PGM activity. Of the applicators, 15 indicated evidence of prior sexual intercourse by the detection of ABH substances not consistent with the applicator donor (6 samples), high levels of acid phosphatase (11 samples), or recovery of spermatozoa (8 samples) or some combination of these. All applicator samples failed to show the presence of either P30 activity or PGM factors foreign to the female.     

Software "Control" in the evaluation of ability to perform a sexual intercourse without perforating hymen

A soft was designed (whose input parameters are data on the victims and suspected) on the basis of determining the erection penis length by its initial sizes to evaluate the penetration probability. CONTROL can be used to personify the issue related with a probable coitus by avoiding any lesion to the virginal membrane. The question can be answered with scientific reasoning only after the genitals of the suspected are examined.     

Adolescent sexual matricide following repetitive mother-son incest.

A case of a 16-year-old male who committed a sexual matricide following years of mother-son incest is reported. After murdering his mother by strangulation, which itself was sexually arousing, the youngster engaged in both vaginal and anal necrophilia. The homicide occurred while the perpetrator was in a dissociative state and experiencing what has been referred to as a catathymic crisis: the sudden release of emotionally charged psychic conflict and tension, resulting in extreme violence within an interpersonal bond. Discussion of maternal image and maternal sexual conduct in relationship to the psychosexual development of adolescent males offers insight into the motivation in this extremely rare case.     

Detection of thiopental and pentobarbital in head and pubic hair in a case of drug-facilitated sexual assault

The quali-quantitative determination of two barbiturates, thiopental and its metabolite pentobarbital, in head and pubic hair samples of a woman who had been sexually assaulted during hospitalisation, is reported. Hair was analysed by means of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-multiple mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS), in chemical ionisation conditions. Thiopental and pentobarbital were found in three proximal head hair segments (sample 1A: 0.30 and 0.40 ng/mg; sample 1B: 0.20 and 0.20 ng/mg; sample 3: 0.15 and 0.20 ng/mg) and pubic hair sample. Two distal head hair segments were negative for both barbiturates. Despite the lack of collection and toxicological analysis of blood or urine samples within the hospital setting, analytical findings from hair revealed the use of the anaesthetic agent thiopental to sedate the victim quickly and deeply and commit sexual assault.     

Pathways to sexual offense recidivism following treatment: an examination of the Ward and Hudson self-regulation model of relapse

Ward and Hudson (1998, 2000) proposed a self-regulation model of relapse in sexual offenders, which classifies offenders into one of four pathways. This study examined the validity of the model, whether sexual recidivists are characterized by one predominant pathway and offense type, and whether participants would change pathway pre- to posttreatment intervention. Twenty-five sexual offenders who had participated in a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment program during a prison sentence, but committed a further sexual offense on their release from custody, participated in the study. Results supported the content validity of the model. The predominant pathway pre- and posttreatment was approach explicit. The hypothesis that participants would change pathway posttreatment was not supported. These results may have implications for the efficacy of treatment of approach-explicit sexual offenders.     

Detection of amitriptyline, citalopram, and metabolites in porcine bones following extended outdoor decomposition

Skeletal remains of a domestic pig were assessed for relative distribution of amitriptyline, citalopram, and metabolites. Following acute exposure and outdoor decomposition for 2 years, drugs and metabolites were analyzed in 13 different bones. Bones were pulverized following a simple wash procedure, and drugs were extracted by passive incubation in methanol, followed by solid-phase extraction. Samples were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and confirmed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The Kruskall-Wallis test showed that bone type was a main effect with respect to drug level for all analytes, with levels varying from 33- to 166-fold. Ratios of levels of drug to that of the corresponding metabolite were less variable, varying roughly one- to eightfold. This suggests limitations in the interpretive value of drug measurements in bone and that relative levels of drug and metabolites should be further investigated in terms of forensic value.     

The court for sexual offences: perceptions of the perpetrators of sexual offences

This article explores the largely hereunto-ignored perceptions of the offenders within the specialist sex-courts in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa. Various factors potentially affecting such perceptions within this group of individuals are identified by way of theoretical orientation. Respondents were inclined to view the Court for Sexual Offences as biased in process and excessively punitive with regard to sentencing. The specialist sex-court was also perceived to be inefficient and slow. Female prosecutors were judged to be overly involved in cases to the extent that their objectivity was impaired. The need for additional research in various related areas is also explored.     

Perpetrators of sexual assault continuing to have sex with their victims following the initial assault: evidence for evolved reproductive strategies

Among a sample of college students, roughly 30% of the women and 12% of the men reported having been the victim of a sexual assault sometime in their lives. Of the assault victims, approximately 23% of both sexes stated that they had sexual intercourse with their assaulters on at least one subsequent occasion. Female victims of a completed sexual assault were significantly more likely to continue being sexually active with their assailants than were female victims who managed to block the assault, while no such difference was found for male victims. This would imply that some men are using assaultive tactics to secure sex partners beyond a single sexual episode, thereby enhancing their potential reproductive success in evolutionary terms. Also, men who committed sexual assault reported having had more lifetime sex partners than did sexually experienced men with no sexual assault history. Overall, the idea that sexual assault is part of an evolved reproductive strategy is consistent with findings from this study.     

The effect of sexual stratification by race on arrest in sexual battery cases

LaFree finds that in most respects officials react more seriously to black assailants who assault white victims than other suspects. Yet paradoxically black assailants who assault white victims are not more likely to be arrested. He explains this apparent inconsistency by proposing that place of incarceration or length of sentence have to do with the seriousness of the offense, whereas arrest has to do with whether the assailant is guilty or innocent. This paper rejects that distinction, arguing that both involve judgments that reflect the influence of similar factors. Several such factors are examined in an analysis of 347 offense reports on sexual battery in Tallahassee over a recent five-year period. The data show that exceptionally cleared cases are the rule in black assailant-black victim (BB) rapes where victims and assailants are mostly acquainted, whereas cases pending predominate in black assailant-white victim (BW) rapes where victims and assailants are mostly strangers. When victims and assailants are acquainted, proportionately more arrests are made in BW rapes than in BB rapes. These findings are consistant with conflict theory’s position that powerful groups enforce sexual-property rules by the differential application of criminal law and punitive sanctions.     

Social networks of sexual offenders

Abstract

Despite the extensive research attention directed toward criminal peer groups, there has been little attention to the peer groups of sexual offenders. Sexual offenders are often considered to be loners who offend in isolation, but cases of sex crimes involving peer support are not difficult to find, e.g., child sex rings, gang rapes. To examine the role of peers in sexual offending, sexual offenders and nonsexual offenders were asked whether they knew other people who have committed sexual crimes. In comparison to the nonoffender community comparison group, the sexual offenders reported considerably more association and identification with sexual offenders. The associations also tended to be offence specific, such that child molesters knew other child molesters and rapists knew other rapists. These findings have important implications for the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders.     

The age of sexual consent

In 1899 the age of sexual consent in some American jurisdictions was 9 years. It has ranged from 7 to 21 years and at present the range is from 11 to 18 years. The age selected seems to be an arbitrary matter, the product of legislative compromise. The age of sexual consent should not be so early that little protection is provided for a child. Conversely, it should not be so late that a man can be held for statutory rape when the "victim" is fully capable of informed consent and readily acquiesced to a proposal or even invited a sexual relationship.     

Psychiatric aspects of sexual abuse

Sexual abuse of children and adolescents has become an increasingly publicized phenomenon. Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals are often called upon to evaluate and treat children and adolescents who may have been sexually abused, to provide counseling or treatment to the families of such children, and to provide reports and testimony for proceedings about such cases in the child protection system, the criminal justice system, and in custody disputes. Clarity regarding the medical, psychiatric, and legal aspects of sexual abuse is essential in carrying out such professional activities and in evaluating and formulating research on sexual abuse. In this paper current knowledge regarding these aspects of sexual abuse is summarized, and the role of psychiatrists in clinical and forensic work involving allegations of sexual abuse is discussed.     

A rapid screening technique for the detection of spermatozoa

Phase contrast microscopy has been used for some time to search for and identify spermatozoa. An enhancement to the technique using xylene in conjuction with phase contrast microscopy is discussed. The method has been found to save time by allowing identification of spermatozoa with xylene-enhanced phase contrast microscopy in many cases that would have been unsuccessful using the normal "dry" phase contrast microscopy techniques. This eliminates a staining and reexamination step.     

The role of alcohol and victim sexual interest in Spanish students' perceptions of sexual assault

Two studies investigated the effects of information related to rape myths on Spanish college students' perceptions of sexual assault. In Study 1, 92 participants read a vignette about a nonconsensual sexual encounter and rated whether it was a sexual assault and how much the woman was to blame. In the scenario, the man either used physical force or offered alcohol to the woman to overcome her resistance. Rape myth acceptance (RMA) was measured as an individual difference variable. Participants were more convinced that the incident was a sexual assault and blamed the woman less when the man had used force rather than offering her alcohol. In Study 2, 164 college students read a scenario in which the woman rejected a man's sexual advances after having either accepted or turned down his offer of alcohol. In addition, the woman was either portrayed as being sexually attracted to him or there was no mention of her sexual interest. Participants' RMA was again included. High RMA participants blamed the victim more than low RMA participants and were less certain that the incident was a sexual assault, especially when the victim had accepted alcohol and was described as being sexually attracted to the man. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the prevention and legal prosecution of sexual assault.     

Cytological detection of spermatozoa: comparison of three staining methods

Sperm detection can be an important factor in confirming sexual assault in cases of rape. This paper compares three of the most commonly used staining methods cited in the scientific literature: Christmas tree. hematoxylin-eosin, and alkaline fuchsin. The population studied was composed of 174 consenting women seen at the Male Infertility Center in Toulouse. France. The date of their last sexual intercourse was accurately known. Alkaline fuchsin did not seem effective in detecting spermatozoa in vaginal samples. Compared with hematoxylin-eosin, Christmas tree stain appeared to be the most useful test in the first 72 h. Two external factors were associated with decreased detection of spermatozoa: time since in tercourse and sperm volume.