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The Persistence of Sperm and the Development of Time Since Intercourse ( TSI ) Guidelines in Sexual Assault Cases at Forensic Science Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Author(s) -
Casey David G.,
Domijan Katarina,
MacNeill Sarah,
Rizet Damien,
O'Connell Declan,
Ryan Jennifer
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.13325
Subject(s) - sperm , sexual assault , persistence (discontinuity) , vagina , sexual intercourse , medicine , andrology , psychology , gynecology , poison control , injury prevention , surgery , medical emergency , environmental health , population , geotechnical engineering , engineering
The persistence of sperm using confirmatory microscopic analysis, the persistence of sperm with tails, time since intercourse ( TSI ) analysis, and results from the acid phosphatase ( AP ) reaction from approximately 5581 swabs taken from circa 1450 sexual assault cases are presented. The observed proportions of sperm in the vagina and anus declines significantly after 48 h TSI , and sperm on oral swabs were observed up to 15 h TSI . The AP reaction as a predictor of sperm on intimate swabs is questioned. All AP reaction times gave a low true positive rate; 23% of sperm‐positive swabs gave a negative AP reaction time. We show the AP reaction is an unsafe and an unreliable predictor of sperm on intimate swabs. We propose that TSI not AP informs precase assessment and the evaluative approach for sexual assault cases. To help inform an evaluative approach, TSI guidelines are presented.