A Multivariate Model of Sexual Offence Behaviour: Developments in 'Offender Profiling'

The extrapolation of characteristics of criminals from information about their
crimes, as an aid to police investigation, is the essence of 'profiling'. This paper
proposes that for such extrapolations to be more than educated guesses they must
be based upon knowledge of a) coherent consistencies in criminal behaviour and b)
the relationship those behavioural consistencies have to aspects of an offender
available to the police in an investigation. Hypotheses concerning behavioural
consistencies are drawn from the diverse literature on sexual offences and a study
is described of 66 sexual assaults committed by 27 offenders against strangers.
Multivariate statistical analyses of these assaults support a five component system
of rapist behaviour, reflecting modes of interaction with the victim as a sexual
object. The potential this provides for an eclectic theoretical basis to offender
profiling is discussed