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Sexual Murder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Don Grubin
Don Grubin*
Affiliation:
Newcastle City Health Trust, St. Nicholas Hospital, Jubilee Road, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 3XT
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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.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 165 , Issue 5 , November 1994 , pp. 624 - 629
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1994 

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