TY - SER AU - Edwards, Susan S. M. TI - Sexualizing the killing of women : : the rise of the “rough sex” defence in Anglo-American jurisdictions PY - 2023/// PB - Cambridge University Press KW - ATTITUDES KW - CRIMINAL JUSTICE KW - FEMICIDE KW - HOMICIDE KW - INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE KW - MISOGYNY KW - PORNOGRAPHY KW - SEXUAL VIOLENCE KW - STRANGULATION KW - INTERNATIONAL KW - UNITED KINGDOM KW - NEW ZEALAND N1 - International Annals of Criminology, 2023, First published online, 12 April 2023 N2 - In this article I consider the increasing use of the “rough sex” defence by men who kill women in trials of murder. In demonstrating the prevalence of this defence I examine the defence tactics of pleading accident and traducing the character of the dead by invoking the excuse that the deceased consented to the acts which contributed to her death. I examine the impact of this defence strategy on jury determination and return of convictions for unlawful manslaughter rather than murder. The notion that women in these situations have contributed to their own demise is a redolent oeuvre in pornography but also has roots in psychoanalysis and medicine. Stereotypes of women’s sexuality as defined by men continue to inform contemporary thinking skewing male violence against women as an outcome that women desire. Legal attempts to reform the law are examined and challenges to the representation of women in popular culture are called for. (Author's abstract). Record #8110 UR - https://doi.org/10.1017/cri.2023.11 ER -