Clinical forensic aspects of self-inflicted neck injuries

Self-Mutilation: A Way to Protect Yourself From a Committed Crime or to Gain Personal Benefits

Self-mutilation refers to the state in which a person deliberately hurts himself without the intention to commit suicide but with the motive of some personal gain. Four cases are described in the current study with four different personal motives - drug supply, accusation of intimate partner violence, confrontation of parental prohibition, and a way to hide and escape from a committed crime. Evaluating the injuries due to self-mutilation might be challenging due to atypical lesions and well-structured false stories when the victim has some level of competency. Careful analysis of the victim's story and a thorough evaluation of the sustained injuries are needed. If doubts about artificial injuries exist, immediate consultation with a forensic pathologist is required.

Whodunit? A reconstruction study in a case of one-handed strangulation

A 27-year old woman reported an attack by her ex-partner. According to her, he suddenly started to strangle her with his left hand, using a claw-like grip against her throat. After 30-60 seconds the victim reacted by kicking the attacker in the groin, thereby disrupting the strangulation. During the court hearing, pictures of the strangulation marks taken by the police were shown as evidence. From a forensic viewpoint, the pictures and the victim's statements did present several inconsistencies, suggesting the possibility of self-inflicted injuries. The ex-partner was found guilty. The defense appealed against the sentence and demanded a thorough forensic expertise on the origin of the strangulation marks. To identify the possible origin of the strangulation marks considering the victim's statements and the presented strangulation marks, a reconstructive study with 26 participants (25 attackers, 1 victim) was carried out. In the study, the expected strangulation marks did show a vertical, C-shaped pattern on the study subject's neck and throat, while the wounds on the victim's neck were aligned horizontally on the right side of the neck. These results show that the strangulation marks on the neck of the victim did not correspond to the claw-like grip at the throat as described by the victim. In this light, the possibility of self-inflicted injuries is discussed.