Historique
Article de Périodique
Proactive drugs in DFSA cases: Toxicological findings in an eight-years study (2018)
Auteur(s) :
BERTOL, E. ;
DI MILIA, M. G. ;
FIORAVANTI, A. ;
MARI, F. ;
PALUMBO, D. ;
PASCALI, J. P. ;
VAIANO, F.
Année
2018
Page(s) :
207-215
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Alcool / Alcohol ; Autres substances / Other substances ; Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
PRO (Produits, mode d'action, méthode de dépistage / Substances, action mode, screening methods)
Thésaurus géographique
ITALIE
Thésaurus mots-clés
TOXICOLOGIE
;
ABUS SEXUEL
;
SOUMISSION CHIMIQUE
;
GHB
;
BENZODIAZEPINES
;
ALCOOL
;
SEXE FEMININ
;
DEPISTAGE
;
ANALYSE CHIMIQUE
;
CANNABIS
;
PRODUIT ILLICITE
Résumé :
In case of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), the evidence is frequently anecdotal, with few investigations based on scientific evidences being carried out and thus most cases are diagnosed as an acute drug or alcohol intoxication. The reason may lay in the lack of specific knowledge by the victim on the possibility to retrospectively study the allegedly events and to the absence of standardized and shared protocols among health, forensic and police subjects. On this basis, in 2015 the Unit of Forensic Toxicology of University of Florence and the Sexual Assaults Centre in Hospital Careggi have fixed a common protocol to be applied in case of DFSA. The purpose of the study was to describe the results of the application of the shared protocol for toxicological findings among women seeking health care after sexual assault, and to assess the relationship with so-called proactive DFSA drugs. We conducted a study on female patients above 18 years of age consulting the Sexual Assault Centre between 2010 and July 2018. Among the 256 patients included, 37.1% was positive at least for a substance. Alcohol was the most detected substance (57 cases), followed by Cannabis (19 cases), cocaine (15 cases) and opiates/methadone (heroin: 5; morphine:1; methadone: 6); benzodiazepines and amphetamine were found in 13 and in 2 cases, respectively. Only case of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) consumption was observed while new psychoactive substances were not detected. Among the patients suspecting proactive DFSA, sedative drug findings, not explained by voluntary intake, were encountered.
Highlights:
Drug facilitated sexual assault are the most common type of drug facilitated crimes.
Some countries have no jurisprudence in DFSA area, others consider it an aggravating circumstance.
Substances causing disinhibition and amnesia are preferred, particularly if not detected by the victim.
Most of results concerned ethanol alone and co-assumption with benzodiazepine.
There is no a single substance that is uniquely associated with DFSA.
Highlights:
Drug facilitated sexual assault are the most common type of drug facilitated crimes.
Some countries have no jurisprudence in DFSA area, others consider it an aggravating circumstance.
Substances causing disinhibition and amnesia are preferred, particularly if not detected by the victim.
Most of results concerned ethanol alone and co-assumption with benzodiazepine.
There is no a single substance that is uniquely associated with DFSA.
Affiliation :
Forensic Toxicology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy