A comparison of intimate partner assailants and non-partner assailants among police reported rapes and attempted rapes in the sør-trøndelag police district

摘要

A considerable amount of rapes and attempted rapes reported to the police, happen inintimate partner relationships. Knowledge with regards to characteristics of intimate partner rape, and furthermore knowledge related to characteristics of assailants of intimate partner rape in Norway, could be considered limited.The aim of this study is to explore characteristics of police reported assailants of rape.This is a retrospective, descriptive study, based on N=558 police-reported rapes andattempted rapes in the Sør-Trøndelag Police District (1997 – 2010). Reported intimate partner rapes/attempted rapes are compared to reported non-partner rapes/attempted rapes on characteristics related to the assailant, the assault, victim characteristics, victim injury, and the legal process.The present study finds that reported rapes/attempted rapes committed by intimatepartner assailants more often involve severe physical violence, compared to reportedrapes/attempted rapes committed by non-partner assailants. Reported intimate partnerassailants are less frequently recorded to have consumed alcohol in connection with therapes/attempted rapes, compared to non-partner assailants. The overall rate of charge filing is low. Higher frequencies of cases are dismissed because of lack of evidence when the reported assailant is an intimate partner, compared to a non-partner.The associations presented here, are in line with some previous empirical findings.The reported intimate partner assailant tend to be violent and is less often reported to have consumed alcohol in connection with the rape/attempted rape, compared to non-partner assailants. Efforts should be put towards preventing intimate partner rape in particular, and intimate partner violence in general.