Offender characteristics of the South African male serial rapist : an exploratory study

Abstract

One of the most potent criminal influences which have spread through modern society is that of serial crime, particularly serial rape of females. In the South African context no research has been conducted on the phenomenon of serial rape and international research has limited application in the local context. This article will focus on the initial findings of an ongoing research project on serial rape in the South African context. The study used police records to determine the offender characteristics of nine male South African serial rapists who offended against 75 female adults and children in an attempt to lay the foundation for a scientific offender profile of these offenders, and to compare those characteristics to U.S. serial rape offenders.