Abstract
The reports of women who wake during non-consensual penile-vaginal penetration often indicate that a male has entered the room and moved her clothing before she wakes. Sleep involves reduced sensitivity to sensory stimuli including touch, light, sound, and pain1,2 and the operation of a gating system which filters stimuli not recognised as meaningful. In a sexual assault involving forced awakening, this reduced sensitivity is additive to the effect of sleep inertia: the performance impairment and confusional state characteristic of the normal transition phase from sleep to waking. In a retrospective study of 305 adult females (median age 26, range 18–68), who presented for a forensic examination at the RPA Sexual Assault service,1 38/305 (12%) (median age 27, range 18–51) woke to find sexual acts already in progress including 25/305 (8%) who woke to find penile-vaginal penetration already occurring. 9/38 (24% of those who woke) were non-intoxicated prior to going to sleep. In 4/38 the only recall was of non-penetrative touching despite other indicators of penetration (vaginal injury, DNA evidence). Another 68/305 women (22%) had no memory of waking during an alleged or suspected sexual assault and may have slept throughout.
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