Sébastien Prat

An unusual death by transcranial stab wound: homicide or suicide?

Penetrating stab wounds of the brain are uncommonly seen in modern times and occur almost exclusively in homicides. We report an unusual death by self-stabbing. A 24-year-old man was found dead at home, the handle of a kitchen knife protruding from his forehead. Data such as the psychiatric history of the victim, the multiplicity and site of wounds, the implement used, the presence of hesitation, and defense wounds were studied to elucidate the manner of death, and the suicidal nature of the event was established after police investigation. Atypical injuries require a careful forensic investigation, and medico-legal aspects of the differentiation between homicide and suicide are discussed in this particular case. A review of the literature revealed few cases of suicidal transcranial stab wounds.

Plastic bag asphyxia – A case report

Suicides due to plastic bag asphyxia have been reported in the literature but remain unusual. The circumstances of such deaths are reviewed and illustrated by the case of a 32-year-old male who was found dead in a lorry cab. The remarkable point is that the victim followed instructions from an American movie he had watched. This case emphasizes the importance of the investigation to determine the manner of death.

Psychopathological characteristics of child pornographers and their victims: a literature review

Child pornography is a form of child sexual exploitation which has been modified by the use of the Internet. The use of child pornography does not necessarily lead to actual child abuse. Victims of child pornography can be classified as direct victims, who have been sexually abused, and indirect victims, who receive images to groom them for actual abuse in the future. Based on a review of the literature, we present the psychopathological characteristics of child pornographers and their victims.

Sudden death due to cerebral malaria: a case report.

Malaria is generally diagnosed ante-mortem. Few post-mortem cases have been described in the literature. Post-mortem cases may present as sudden and unexpected deaths of young individuals rising suspicious of unnatural death, and may therefore be investigated by medical examiners. We present the case of a 24-year-old man who died a few days after returning from a trip to Mali (Africa). Death was attributed to cerebral malaria after a thorough post-mortem investigation. The pathological aspects underlying the fatal outcome are discussed.

Developing Software to Estimate Age in Child Pornography Images for Forensic Purposes: Relevance and Limitations in Psychocriminology

Sir, Child pornography is mainly disseminated by the Internet through pedophile networks, notably peer-to-peer file exchanges (1). The arrest of people who participate actively (production and dissemination of images) or passively (downloading and possessing images) in child pornography is hindered by the international aspect of this offense. Cooperation between countries is thus needed and has already led to the arrest of numerous child pornographers (2,3). However, countries do not all have the same legal measures to deal with child pornography material (2,4). Almost all states forbid pornographic images involving minors (4–6). In 2008, Interpol found 680 victims in 520,000 images in its database (7). Very often, these images are the only proof of the offense. Child pornographers are generally identified when they disseminate and download images. They then try to justify themselves by saying that the characters depicted are adults. It is thus essential in these situations to prove that they are in fact minors. There are a number of articles in the literature which describe the difficulty of proving minority, notably using Tanner’s criteria (8–12). Other techniques for estimating age have thus been developed (13–16). This will help to assess whether erotic or pornographic images involve minors (17,18). These computer-based methods of estimating age raise questions about their relevance and limits in psychocriminology. Three specific types of child pornography images need to be considered: (i) those that use minors, (ii) those that use virtual images and pseudo-photographs, and (iii) those that use adults.

How to catch child pornographers in France? The entrapment

Child pornography is a form of sexual exploitation of children. The use of telecommunication facilities, particularly the Internet, has allowed child pornography to be distributed more widely. The Internet is used by pedophiles for four reasons: trafficking child pornography; locating a minor for an assault; initiating communication with a minor; and communicating with other pedophiles [1,2]. Today, access to pedophilic material no longer requires direct contact between supplier and consumer but can be obtained anonymously [2,3]. It is common for pedophiles and those using child pornography to be part of virtual groups [3,4]. They can speak freely about their fantasies, their fears, thus maintaining a good image of themselves while obtaining child pornography material. The existence of these virtual groups has become a major issue, as they are not restricted by territorial boundaries. Legislation has been passed in a number of countries to tackle the issue [5]. Various police operations have targeted groups of child pornographers [6]. In ‘‘Operation Icarus’’ by Europol in 2011, 269 suspects have been identified and 112 arrested, in 22 European countries [7]. Since 2007, Article 706-47-3 of the French Penal Procedure Code treats about the modalities of action of ‘‘cyber patrol’’. Police officers can in an investigation: