Citation

Grubin D. Br. J. Psychiatry 1994; 165(5): 624-629.

Affiliation

Newcastle City Health Trust, St. Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7866677

Abstract

BACKGROUND. Little is known about men who kill in a sexual context. The present study compares a group of sexual murderers with a group of men who had raped but not killed. METHOD. Twenty-one men who murdered women in the course of a sexual attack and 121 men convicted of rape were interviewed in six prisons. Victim statements were obtained in 103 cases (73%). Assessment consisted of a 90-minute semi-structured interview, the Eysenck 1-7 questionnaire, and the Schonell reading test. RESULTS. The most notable characteristic distinguishing the men who killed was their lifelong isolation and lack of heterosexual relationships. CONCLUSIONS. A better understanding of the social and emotional isolation commonly found in sexual murderers may provide important insights into why some sexual offenders go on to kill.

Language: en