Sexual murder.
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.


METHODS
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.
Grubin
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Newcastle City Health Trust, St. Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D005201:Fantasy; D006708:Homicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011606:Psychosexual Development; D011902:Rape / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D012934:Social Isolation; D014754:Violence