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Toxicological Findings in Cases of Sexual Assault in the Netherlands *
Author(s) -
Bosman Ingrid J.,
Verschraagen Miranda,
Lusthof Klaas J.
Publication year - 2011
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/j.1556-4029.2011.01888.x
Subject(s) - sexual assault , medicine , poison control , injury prevention , psychiatry , drug , suicide prevention , occupational safety and health , human factors and ergonomics , medical emergency , pathology
Reports on cases of alleged drug‐facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) have increased since the mid‐1990s. The aim of this study was to identify the extent and types of drugs found in cases of alleged sexual assault (DFSA) in the Netherlands. In total, 135 cases of alleged DFSA were identified. Most of the victims were women (94%), and the mean age of the victims was 25 years. Blood and urine samples were tested for the presence of alcohol, drugs (drugs of abuse and prescription drugs), or both. In 27% of the cases, no alcohol and/or drugs were found. With increasing time delay, more cases were found to be negative. Alcohol is the most commonly found drug followed by nonopiate analgesics, illicit drugs, and benzodiazepines. In some cases, the absence of alcohol and drugs may represent false‐negative results owing to the time delay between alleged sexual assault and sampling.