rape news stories on Newser

For Native American Women, Sex Assault Is 'the Norm'

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:37:04 CDT

The official number is bad enough: One in three American Indian women have experienced rape or attempted rape, a rate more than twice the national average. But it gets worse: One survey finds that in some rural villages, the rate of sexual violence is as much as 12 times the...

Strauss-Kahn Lawsuit: He Hates Women

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:33:34 CDT

Nafissatou Diallo has added a new wrinkle to her lawsuit against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, arguing that he hates women and that his alleged rape of her hence amounted to gender violence, the Guardian reports. "Strauss-Kahn's conduct towards women generally is, and more specifically his sexual assault of Ms. Diallo was, motivated...

DSK Now Target of Gang-Rape Investigation

Matt Cantor — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:19:00 CDT

More hot water for Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and once again it's US-flavored: A French prosecutor today opened a preliminary investigation into an alleged gang rape in Washington, DC, CNN reports. In the course of France's probe into Strauss-Kahn's alleged participation in a prostitution ring, the gang-rape allegations surfaced; a Belgian prostitute...

Accused Rapist Can Use 'Zoloft Defense'

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:25:53 CDT

A former southern California police detective charged with kidnapping and raping a 25-year-old waitress at gunpoint will be allowed to use a "Zoloft defense," a judge has ruled. Lawyers for Anthony Nicholas Orban aim to prove he's not guilty because he was mentally "unconscious" and "totally unaware of his actions"...

New Allegation: DSK Gang-Raped a Prostitute

Kevin Spak — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:33:05 CDT

Dominique Strauss-Kahn may have another sexual assault scandal on his hands—or some part of him, anyway. French investigators are looking into allegations that he and three of his friends gang-raped a Belgian prostitute while on a trip to Washington in December 2010, Reuters reports. The allegations spring from a...

Feds Investigate Mont. Town After 80 Rapes in 3 Years

Kevin Spak — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:56:51 CDT

There have been more than 80 reports of rapes in Missoula, Montana, over the past three years, and that figure now has the Justice Department getting involved. DOJ yesterday announced a wide-ranging investigation into allegations that police aren't properly investigating or prosecuting sexual assaults due to gender discrimination, MSNBC reports....

10 US Cities Most Dangerous for Women

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:46:00 CDT

Rape statistics are notoriously unreliable, so Forbes has analyzed a wider swath of FBI crime data to create a list of America's most dangerous cities for women. Add robbery and aggravated assault statistics to forcible rape, and you get: Saginaw, Michigan : 90 miles from Detroit, Saginaw has 76 rapes for...

Mother Sentenced for Aiding Rape of Own Daughters

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:21:06 CDT

A sadistic mother in Britain will spend 10 years in prison after a court convicted her of encouraging her boyfriend to systematically rape her three young daughters. The 65-year-old woman instructed her daughters to wear provocative underwear, gave them alcohol, and then drove the girls, who were all under the...

Suspected Teen Rape Victim Jailed

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 03:33:24 CDT

A 17-year-old suspected rape victim is being held in a California juvenile detention facility to ensure that she'll show up to testify against her attacker. She failed to turn up at a preliminary hearing for her suspected assailant, forcing prosecutors to refile the case. “The last thing we ever want...