I am writing a submission on the Home Office Consultative document on
Setting the Boundaries: Reforming the Law on Sex Offences, and in
particular, amongst other  things, on what it recommends about necrophilia
which is not, in itself, an offence.

The document admits that the committee have no firm evidence of the
nature or extent of the "problem" but nevertheless recommends that
necrophilia should be made an offence.  It is clear that the committee
assumed that necrophiliacs would never be included  amongst "relatives
and friends of the deceased" or amongst those to whom the deceased was
a "loved one".

It seems to me, however, that since those close to the deceased sometimes
wish to look at, touch, and kiss him/her, it is possible that there may be
lovers of the deceased while alive may who make love to the deceased
when dead.  To make necrophilia in itself an offence would put it very
nearly on a par with buggery which at present is an offence even between a
consenting married couple and this is something which the committee's
proposals on buggery would alter.  It is no answer to my way of thinking
to say that it can be left to prosecutors' discretion  to prosecute necrophilia
only when appropriate.

I wonder if member of the list who have studied or are familiar with the
literature on how survivors react to the deaths of lovers can  tell me
anything about necrophilia by survivors or direct me to any literature about
it. 

-- 
Stephen White ([log in to unmask])
16 Tymynydd Close                               Visiting Lecturer
Radyr                                           Cardiff Law School
Cardiff CF15 8AS                                University of Wales
Wales, U.K.                                     Museum Avenue
029 20842453                                    Cardiff CF1 1XD
                                                Wales, U.K.



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%