A crime script analysis of court-adjudicated sexual offenses perpetrated against older adults

Sexual violence and abuse (SVA) against older adults remains an underexplored phenomenon. The dearth of research into how these crimes occur may mean opportunities for proactive prevention and intervention are potentially missed. To address current knowledge gaps, this study developed the first-known crime script for SVA against older people through analysis of 17 Australian court judgment texts (n = 19 events). Findings show that court-adjudicated incidents were often perpetrated by younger males (typically strangers), took place within the victim's home during the night, and were characterized by excessive violence and egregious sexual acts, despite active victim resistance. Importantly, an absence of guardianship, along with vulnerabilities in home security, were identified as key enablers of SVA perpetration in this sample. Situational crime prevention strategies (i.e. extend guardianship, target hardening) are recommended to strengthen preventative efforts and discourage SVA in these circumstances, thus ensuring older adults are adequately protected from potential harm.