ABSTRACT
A. N. Groth reviewed his clinical files of convicted sex offenders for sexual offenses where the victim was substantially older than the offender. There was verification of multiple assaults on the same victim. Verification was derived from either the offender himself or the victim. In additional cases, multiple assaults were suspected where Human papillomavirus was detected. Human papillomavirus is a viral infection that is passed between people through skin-to-skin contact. The opportunistic offender differed from other rapists with the classification in that 8 of the 10 offenders claimed not to have penetrated the elder, but rather to have committed acts of fondling, kissing, and molestation. The taxonomic “profiling” of sex offenders essentially started with a deductive methodology using the systems first developed by A. P. Cohen and Groth in the 1960s and 1970s. A parallel in elder abuse may exist between research findings in assessing child molesters and the strength of sexual preoccupation with children.
