This source http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996540 offers a disturbing article, which I felt like sharing with you all.
It's dated Oct-15, so I think it has not been posted, but if it has *shrug* you mods know what to do
The World's No.1 Science & Technology News Service
Sleepwalking woman had sex with strangers
15:46 15 October 04
NewScientist.com news service
Sleep medicine experts have successfully treated a rare case of a woman having sex with strangers while sleepwalking.
The behaviour had disrupted the lives of the woman and her partner. At night while asleep, the middle-aged sleepwalker - who lives in Australia and cannot be identified for reasons of confidentiality - left her house and had sexual intercourse with strangers. The behaviour continued for several months and the woman had no memory of her nocturnal activities.
Circumstantial evidence, such as condoms found scattered around the house, alerted the couple to the problem. On one occasion, her partner awoke to find her missing, went searching for her and found her engaged in the sex act.
“Incredulity is the leading player in cases like this,” says Peter Buchanan, the sleep physician at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, who handled the case. But a combination of factors convinced him that the case was a real sleepwalking phenomenon, including the distress of the couple, and an in-depth clinical evaluation.
Sleep talking
During that evaluation, the patient was assessed by psychiatrists, and checked for physical problems such as brain tumours, which may cause unusual behaviour. Neither of those examinations could find a cause.
However, she was found to have a history of talking in her sleep as a teenager and when monitored in the sleep laboratory, she was found to have a higher number of arousals from deep sleep than is usual. Both of these factors might indicate a susceptibility to abnormal sleep behaviour.
However, Roger Allen, a sleep specialist in private practice in Brisbane is sceptical. “Sex is a primal behaviour so it’s not impossible - men have erections in their sleep after all - but this case involved such complex behaviour it seems less likely.” He also points out that eliminating psychiatric conditions as a cause of the behaviour would be difficult.
"Do not worry, I have prepared something for just such an emergency."
"You're prepared for a giant monster made entirely of nulls stomping around Mainframe?!"
Who finds it more likely that she was actually just going out and having sex with strangers and blaming it on her sleep-walking.
Brotherhood of the Monkey @( !.! )@ To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. ~Steve Prefontaine Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.
Sharp-kun wrote:If she was actually asleep would it count as rape?
No. There have been reported cases of people who sleep walked and sleep talked and for all intents and purposes they were completely coherent, yet they were actualy still assleep. Because of this there is the reasonable expectation that the sexual partner has that the person is lucid.
"If the facts are on your side, pound on the facts. If the law is on your side, pound on the law. If neither is on your side, pound on the table."
"The captain claimed our people violated a 4,000 year old treaty forbidding us to develop hyperspace technology. Extermination of our planet was the consequence. The subject did not survive interrogation."
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Political Compass: -3/-6 DOOMerWoW
"I really hate it when the guy you were pegging as Mr. Worst Case starts saying, "Oh, I was wrong, it's going to be much worse." " - Adrian Laguna
If she was asleep she must have had some signs of it. She cant have been talking normally, otherwise she just wasnt asleep, and this is more like some sort of multiple-personality disorder. Did she walk down to the pub in her nightie and mumble something about sex to someone there? - or did she get dressed first? Makes no sense.
"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials
Predator wrote:If she was asleep she must have had some signs of it. She cant have been talking normally, otherwise she just wasnt asleep, and this is more like some sort of multiple-personality disorder. Did she walk down to the pub in her nightie and mumble something about sex to someone there? - or did she get dressed first? Makes no sense.
Incorrect. It is possible for people to be in a sleeping state and appear totaly rationale. This is very rare, but possible.
"If the facts are on your side, pound on the facts. If the law is on your side, pound on the law. If neither is on your side, pound on the table."
"The captain claimed our people violated a 4,000 year old treaty forbidding us to develop hyperspace technology. Extermination of our planet was the consequence. The subject did not survive interrogation."
I remember a case where a man, while sleep-walking, drove several miles to his in-laws where he killed them. He was found guilty of murder, but the case that he was actually sleep-walking was quite strong and I leaned towards beliving him.
If I was on the jury, I'd probably still find his body guilty at least.
which gets into all sorts of dicey areas of being in your right mind. toss in david gerrold's telepaths, and you might not even be in your right body.
This day is Fantastic!
Myers Briggs: ENTJ
Political Compass: -3/-6 DOOMerWoW
"I really hate it when the guy you were pegging as Mr. Worst Case starts saying, "Oh, I was wrong, it's going to be much worse." " - Adrian Laguna
Korvan wrote:I remember a case where a man, while sleep-walking, drove several miles to his in-laws where he killed them. He was found guilty of murder, but the case that he was actually sleep-walking was quite strong and I leaned towards beliving him.
If I was on the jury, I'd probably still find his body guilty at least.
I hope that was appealed because that fails the "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" standard.
Since doubt existed, then the jury is REQUIRED to accquit, even if it is likely that in fact was guilty.
