A prospective study of drug-facilitated sexual assault in Barcelona

Xifró-Collsamata, Alexandre; Pujol-Robinat, Amadeo; Barbería-Marcalain, Eneko; Arroyo-Fernández, Amparo; Bertomeu-Ruiz, Antonia; Montero-Núñez, Francisco; Medallo-Muñiz, Jordi

doi:10.1016/j.medcle.2015.12.001

Cited by 10 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…There were also a small number of cases of MDMA (3 in total) and 2 cases of other illicit drugs; these were both related to glue sniffing. As with several other recent studies [12,16,17,18], the most common drugs of abuse are the most frequently detected, regardless of their pharmacology or their perceived suitability as date rape drugs.…”

Section: Analysis Of Illicit Drugs Detected In Potential Cases Of Drusupporting

confidence: 63%

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Toxicological Assessment of the Role of Alcohol and Drugs in Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Cases in New Zealand

Poulsen

McCarthy

Baker

et al. 2020

Journal of Analytical Toxicology

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This report details the toxicology profile of victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) in New Zealand from 2015 to 2018. This study represents all of the toxicology results for DFSA cases in New Zealand during this time period, of which there were 161 cases. Blood and urine samples were screened for legal and illicit drugs in addition to testing for alcohol and correlating alcohol concentration with sampling delay. Our results indicate that increased delay in sampling time resulted in a corresponding decrease in alcohol concentration. In victims who had declared alcohol use but of which none was detected, the average sampling time was 14 hours for blood and 17 hours for urine, which is in excess of the average sampling delay for even the lowest alcohol-positive samples. The most frequently detected alcohol concentration was in the range of 51–80 mg/100 mL for blood and 121–200 mg/100 mL for urine with an average sampling time of 8.5 and 6.5 hours, respectively. We also examined acetone concentrations in alcohol-positive samples, and our results indicate that 82% of blood alcohol-positive samples contained acetone at concentrations between 5 and 10 mg/L and 68% of alcohol-positive urine samples contained acetone at a concentration >20 mg/L. It may be that the nature of sexual assault affects an individual’s metabolism of alcohol and results in increased acetone production. Cannabis was the most commonly detected illicit drug, followed by methamphetamine. In relation to medicinal drugs, there was a high usage of antidepressants and antipsychotics, suggesting the victims may have been people of vulnerable personality. Based on case information, it does not appear there are many cases where stupefaction by unknown administration of a drug has occurred, instead loss of consent through voluntary alcohol and drug consumption is more common and poses a greater risk than surreptitious drug administration.

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Section: Analysis Of Illicit Drugs Detected In Potential Cases Of Drusupporting

confidence: 63%

“…The results show that the samples with the highest alcohol concentration are associated with the shortest time delay in sample collection. Several studies have linked increased BAC to increased risk of sexual assault [12,[17][18][19][20][21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxicological Assessment of the Role of Alcohol and Drugs in Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Cases in New Zealand

Poulsen

McCarthy

Baker

et al. 2020

Journal of Analytical Toxicology

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“…There is an important association between SA and the use of alcohol and submission drugs, as has been shown in prospective studies [9]. The most common drug in Barcelona is alcohol (48.8%) [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Post‐exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection in sexual assault victims

et al. 2019

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ObjectivesSexual assault (SA) is recognized as a public health problem of epidemic proportions. Guidelines recommend the administration of post‐exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after an SA. However, few data are available about the feasibility of this strategy, and this study was conducted to assess this.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, longitudinal, observational study in SA victims attending the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona from 2006 to 2015. A total of 1695 SA victims attended the emergency room (ER), of whom 883 met the PEP criteria. Five follow‐up visits were scheduled at days 1, 10, 28, 90 and 180 in the out‐patient clinic. The primary endpoint was PEP completion rate at day 28. Secondary endpoints were loss to follow‐up, treatment discontinuation, occurrence of adverse events (AEs) and rate of seroconversion.ResultsThe median age of participants was 25 years [interquartile range (IQR) 21–33 years] and 93% were female. The median interval between exposure and presentation at the ER was 13 h (IQR 6–24 h). The level of risk was appreciable in 47% (n = 466) of individuals. Of 883 patients receiving PEP, 631 lived in Catalonia. In this group, the PEP completion rate at day 28 was 29% (n = 183). The follow‐up rate was 63% (n = 400) and 38% (n = 241) at days 1 and 28, respectively. Treatment discontinuation was present in 58 (15%) of 400 patients who attended at least the day 1 visit, the main reason being AEs (n = 35; 60%). AEs were reported in 226 (56%) patients, and were mainly gastrointestinal (n = 196; 49%). Only 211 (33%) patients returned for HIV testing at day 90. A single seroconversion was observed in a men who have sex with men (MSM) patient at day 120.ConclusionsFollow‐up and compliance rates in SA victims were poor. In addition, > 50% of the patients experienced AEs, which were the main reason for PEP interruption. Strategies to increase follow‐up testing and new better tolerated drug regimens must be investigated to address these issues.

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“…With these characteristics in mind a variety of drugs have been identified as toxicological candidates in DFSA investigations. At minimum, alcohol, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, cocaine, opiates, and γ-hydroxy butyrate (GHB) should form the panel of tested drugs [ 9 ], though ketamine, barbiturates, chloral hydrate, antihistamines, and other synthetic analogues have been identified in case reports [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidentiary discrepancies in sexual assault casework within the US

Williams

2021

Forensic Sciences Research

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In recent years, a significant number of investigations have discovered up to 200 000 unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) in the US. While the public outcry was largely directed towards DNA analysis, the SAKs also contained biological specimens specifically designated for toxicological analysis. Due to the sensitivity of analytes in potential drug facilitated sexual assaults, the preservation and maintenance of the specimens is crucial in providing accurate toxicological measurements. The investigations into the unsubmitted SAKs have identified subjective law enforcement officer (LEO) rationale for the unsubmitted kits, however the impact on toxicological specimens has not been examined. This brief review of policies and guidelines with respect to forensic specimens has identified potential sources of evidentiary degradation, despite the use of chemical preservatives. With respect to temperature-controlled environments, the variation in SAK submission policies established throughout the US are potentially detrimental to the preservation of toxicological evidence. Degradation as a result of time-delayed collection and poorly maintained storage temperatures plays a crucial role for/in the interpretation of qualitative and quantitative toxicological results. This review finds these delays can be addressed through modernisation of facilities; electronic tracking of unsubmitted SAKs; mandated transfer of biological evidence within 72 h; and documentation of temperature within the chain of custody or other records. Without identifying the range of temperatures in which the evidence was exposed, forensic toxicologists may unintentionally provide erroneous interpretations of toxicological analyses -potentially casting doubt on the survivor's recall of events and negatively impacting future sexual assault investigations. KEY POINTS• Temperature-controlled conditions for biological evidence of sexual assault cases may be inadequate in the US. • Biological specimens collected in drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) casework must be immediately preserved in optimal temperature-controlled temperatures. • If biological specimens are not stored at optimal temperatures, forensic toxicologists are likely to interpret values that do not reflect the specimen at time of collection. • It would benefit DFSA investigations and toxicological interpretations if temperature-related information was included with the chain of custody or other included documentation.

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A prospective study of drug-facilitated sexual assault in Barcelona

Cited by 10 publications

References 15 publications

Toxicological Assessment of the Role of Alcohol and Drugs in Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Cases in New Zealand

Toxicological Assessment of the Role of Alcohol and Drugs in Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Cases in New Zealand

Post‐exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection in sexual assault victims

Evidentiary discrepancies in sexual assault casework within the US

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