Under the Microscope: Comparing Mammalian Spermatozoa Morphologies for Sexual... Forensic sexual assault investigations often involve serology screenings, which can include laboratory tests for the indication of blood, semen, and saliva.1 Identifying which samples might be from the assailant is paramount to investigators, and determining spermatozoa morphologies can sometimes be the key to cracking the case.
To determine human spermatozoa from that of other mammals, first we have to understand how sperm is made in the human body. In the male reproductive tract, sperm cells are first made in the testicles, and subsequently moved to the epididymis for further development.2 The cells then go into the ejaculatory duct and urethra, and afterwards combine with prostatic substances.2,3 But, multiple areas in the male tract contribute to the composition of semen—roughly 2 to 5 mL per ejaculation resulting in 250 to 600 million sperm cells.2,4 Materials and Methods Known semen samples were donated or purchased from reputable sources.
Results. Rape prevention program in Kenya attracting media attention, funding. I’ve written previously about No Means No Worldwide, a non-profit that has partnered with several Stanford researchers to document the success of their self-defense programs for preventing rapes of girls in Nairobi, Kenya.
Over the last week, the program has garnered some wonderful news coverage of its complementary program to educate boys about their responsibility for stopping rape, including a Reuters story that describes how some schoolboys halted the sexual assault of a young girl: Having been trained to defend girls against sexual assault, the boy called other young men to help him confront the man and rescue the child. “It would have been fatal,” said Collins Omondi, who taught the boy as part of a program to stamp out violence against women and girls in Nairobi slums.
Metagenomic analyses of bacteria on human hairs: a qualitative assessment for applications in forensic science. Someone finally fixed that 'victim blaming' NHS rape poster. Bill aims to strengthen forensic training in sexual assault cases. The Defense Department must improve its procedures for investigating sexual assaults by standardizing training requirements for medical experts who examine victims and analyze rape kits, a bipartisan group of lawmakers say.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will introduce legislation Wednesday designed to strengthen the Pentagon’s sex assault forensic examiner cadre by improving training and certification, and requiring more personnel be trained in taking DNA samples and other physical evidence following an attack. The bill would define who is eligible to serve as a sexual assault forensic examiner, require that at least one trained examiner be assigned to every military treatment facility and all Navy ships, and standardize training and certification across the services.
No Longer Ignored, Evidence Solves Rape Cases Years Later. Photo.
Commission of an independent review into rape investigation. 09 June 2014 The Metropolitan Police Service and Crown Prosecution Service have today, Monday, 9 June, announced the commission of an independent review into how both agencies investigate and prosecute allegations of rape.
Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, have appointed Dame Elish Angiolini to conduct a victim-centred review which will help both organisations to build on the improvements made in rape handling since the 2010 Stern Review. "We are far better than we were 20 years ago in the way we deal with victims of sexual offences" With direct experience in this area - having carried out a similar review in Scotland which led to the creation of Europe's first specialist national sex crimes unit - Dame Elish will examine how the MPS and CPS provide support to victims, investigate offences and bring cases to court. "We already know that over 80% of victims of sexual offences are believed not to come forward to report it to police. Metropolitan police's handling of rape allegations to be reviewed. Metropolitan police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe.
Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, has said an "unconscious bias" among officers could be blighting rape cases as he launched an independent review hoping to stop a repeat of "awful" failings. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, commissioner of the Metropolitan police, said more than 80% of rape and sexual violence victims did not trust the system enough to come forward after being attacked. The review, announced by the Scotland Yard chief along with Alison Saunders, the director of public prosecutions, will be conducted by Dame Elish Angiolini and be published in February 2015. Angiolini was lord advocate in Scotland, the top prosecutor in the jurisdiction, from 2006 to 2011 and is now the principal of St Hugh's College Oxford. How Vanessa Feltz's bravery exposed our shameful culture of victim-blaming.
Here's a snapshot of the kind of online abuse prompted by TV and radio presenter Vanessa Feltz describing being assaulted by disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris as she presented a live segment of Channel 4's Big Breakfast in 1996.
"Can't imagine why anyone would ever want to grope you Ms Feltz. Not a pleasant thought""#VanessaFeltz claims #RolfHarris assaulted her on live TV. Despite the Nigel Evans trial, the wrongly accused are not the main victims i... Some thoughts on victim-blaming and Michael Le Vell. The actor Michael Le Vell has been found not guilty of rape and crikey, this makes some people angry.
Dr Christian Jessen, rape tweets and context: Some thoughts. At risk of being deemed yet another person whose sanity is in question or who isn’t a “true feminist[] at all”, I thought I’d write my own response to Christian Jessen’s recent twitter comments regarding rape.
This is because they made me angry, the reasons for which I will state below. Or it is because I have mental health problems, for which I take medication and for which I have on occasion been hospitalised. False rape accusations: Some stupid questions. Another day, another entitled white male columnist expressing his outrage at the victimization of his poor, downtrodden brothers.
Today (yet again) it’s the turn of Dan Hodges, who not only penned this little rant on lives ruined by false rape accusations, but then took to twitter to ask this gem of a question: @PennyRed It’s a simple question Laurie. Do false allegations of rape make it easier or harder to secure convictions against rapists.— Dan Hodges (@DPJHodges) April 15, 2014.
False rape allegations: Why the distorted focus? Finally – finally! – we get to know just how prevalent false rape accusations have become. As BBC Newsbeat reports “it’s the first time details for England and Wales have been compiled, showing how common the problem is”. From that particular wording, you wouldn’t necessarily think that the answer to that was “not very common at all”. But you’d be wrong. Over the past 17 months there have been two – yes, two – successful prosecutions per month for making false allegations and wasting police time. #BreaktheSilence around male rape.
Kym Worthy: Testing small portion of Detroit's 11,000-plus rape kit backlog i... Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy DETROIT, MI -- In 2009, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy learned that the Detroit Crime Lab had over 11,000 rape kits, some decades old, sitting idly in a warehouse. Worthy, who says she was the victim of an unreported rape in college, has made testing these kits and serving justice a top priority. Worthy on Monday with Mariska Hargitay, the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star who founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 to help battered women, victims of sexual assault and abused children, announced combined efforts to push Legislation through Lansing that would make tracking of rape kits mandatory and provide funding for the backlog problem. The legislation intends to give victims greater input, defines a process for collection and submission by law enforcement and "establish boundaries" to removal for DNA from the national database.
Exclusive-rape-of-vulnerable-women-has-been-effectively-decriminalised-9161336. The claim is made by Professor Betsy Stanko, who is currently the Metropolitan Police’s assistant director of planning and has been researching the force’s investigation of rape for 10 years. In a draft, unpublished report obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Professor Stanko claims that despite a decade of reform the percentage of prosecutions and convictions of rape has remained consistently low. She says this is largely because two thirds of rape allegations drop out during the police investigation stage. The problem is particularly acute for people with vulnerabilities such as mental health issues and learning difficulties for whom the likelihood of getting their cases solved is extremely remote. “These women face almost unsurmountable obstacles to justice,” Professor Stanko says. Revealed: Why the police are failing most rape victims.
Image: Rape via Shutterstock.com Recent acquittals in celebrity sex cases give the impression that most rape allegations reach court. In fact, despite a decade of policy reforms, the chances of any rape complainant seeing their assailant convicted remains stubbornly low. In the last two years the number of suspected rapists charged and prosecuted has fallen, despite an increase in reported rapes. An investigation by the Bureau, drawing on hitherto unpublished research from within the Metropolitan Police, reveals the prejudices behind these statistics – prejudices which mean that for some women, rape has effectively been decriminalised.
At King’s College Hospital in South London the Accident and Emergency department and the Haven, a specialist unit for victims of rape and sexual assault, are just a few minutes’ walk from each other. Four out of 10 recorded rapes involve children, reveal police figures. Recorded rape figures show up to one third of cases dropped. 31 January 2014Last updated at 08:08 ET.
Sex Offenders Register. What is the Sex Offenders Register? Violent and Sexual Crime. Criminal Law Solicitors Manchester, Salford, Birmingham & London. Charity sees 30% rise in rape and sexual assault reports. 30 July 2013Last updated at 12:53 ET The charity's sexual assault referral centres are used by Welsh police forces. The Investigator - Digital Online Magazine. Forensic science breakthrough will aid rape cases. Printer friendly version Share 14 June 2012 Huddersfield, The University of. Pioneering forensics research into body fluids in sexual assaults. Research student Kimberley Bexon's passion for DNA analysis means she is playing a key role in a project at the University of Huddersfield that should be a major aid in the investigation of sex offences. Now she is to receive financial backing from the Chartered Society of Forensic Science (previously known as the Forensic Science Society), which has awarded her a scholarship.
Kimberley, aged 26, has embarked on PhD study, supervised by the forensic scientist Dr Graham Williams, who has pioneered new techniques for identifying body fluids -- especially important in cases of alleged sexual assault. She first came to the University of Huddersfield to acquire her MSc degree in forensic science.