title: Drug-facilitated sexual assault provoked by the victim's religious beliefs: a case report.
abstract: The number of drug-facilitated sexual assault incidents has lately been increased all over the world leading law enforcement agencies and hospital doctors to constant alert. The drugs involved may be benzodiazepines, hypnotics, other sedatives, anesthetics, drugs of abuse or ethanol. The detection of these agents in biologic fluids is difficult, since most of them are shortly acting, and provoke victim's amnesia which in turn leads the victim to report the allegation late. An unusual case-study of a 35-year-old, married woman who was admitted to the hospital with dizziness and loss of memory for a period of 10 days is here reported. The toxicological analysis of the victim's blood and urine for unknown sedative drugs, achieved by GC-MS, revealed the presence of zolpidem (Stilnox), a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic. Concentration of zolpidem in blood, 11 hours after the last supposedly intake, was 47 microg/L. After family counseling at the hospital, the victim's husband confessed that he was replacing the contents of Losec capsules of his wife, with Stilnox tablets. This unjust act was committed by the husband in order for him to have sex with his wife, since she was not willing to participate in a sexual intercourse due to her religious restraints for a fasting period of 40 days. The aim of this article is 2-fold. First, to emphasize the fact that a sexual assault can take place not only between 2 strangers, but also within a happily married couple. Second, to remind doctors that any case of sexual assault must be examined toxicologically, for a better and thorough investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Constantine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maravelias
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stefanidou
authors.forename: Artemis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dona
authors.forename: Sotiris
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Athanaselis
authors.forename: Chara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spiliopoulou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D011725:Pyridines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D011902:Rape; D012067:Religion; D018454:Spouses; D000077334:Zolpidem
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D011725:Pyridines; D000077334:Zolpidem