In this section you will find a selection of academic articles from peer-reviewed journals, and chapters from academic textbooks that I authored or co-authored, on a variety of forensic topics.
Clicking on the article title will start an immediate download in the background.
Rape Justice in South Africa: Retrospective Study of the Investigation, Prosecution and Adjudication of Reported Rape Cases from 2012
This is national study of 3952 rape cases opened up at the SAPS during 2012. The study aimed to describe patterns of attrition of rape cases during their progression through the criminal justice system and factors associated with this, and to generate recommendations for strengthening the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cases. Professor Labuschagne was one of the researchers involved in the study.
A test of case linkage principles with solved and unsolved serial rapes 2011
This 2011 academic peer reviewed article by Dr Gérard Labuschagne and Dr Jessica Woodhams (University of Birmingham) compares solved and unsolved (but DNA linked) South African rape series in terms of similarities for case-linkage purposes. This is the first study to use solved and unsolved series to compare if case linkage principles can be applied to both.
An explorative study of serial rape and victimisation risk in South Africa 2010
This 2010 academic peer reviewed article by Dr Jackie de Wet, Professor Cheryl Potgieter (UKZN) and Dr Gérard Labuschagne looks at the socio-demographic factors of 75 serial rape victims in South Africa. It aimed to develop a general profile of such victims.
Chapter: Muti murder - Murder for human body parts 2012
This 2012 chapter from the book Serial Offenders: Theory and Practice edited by Kevin Borgeson (USA) takes a look at the concept of ‘muti’ murder. In muti murders victims are attacked for the purpose of obtaining human body parts for use in a twisted version of traditional African medicine.
Chapter: Use of linkage analysis evidence in serial offence trials 2015
This 2015 chapter from the book Crime Linkage: Theory, Research and Practice edited by Dr Jessica Woodhams (UK) and Dr Craig Bennell (Canada) focuses on the use of linkage analysis as an evidential tool during trials. It looks at its usage in international trials as well as South African trials. It also discusses the evidential rules that allow such evidence to be presented in South African courts.
Classification of planning and violent behavior in Serial Murder - SA and USA 2015
This 2015 peer reviewed academic article co-authored by Dr Marina Sorochinski, Dr Gabrielle Salfati (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York) and Dr Gérard Labuschagne, compares South African serial murderers to serial murderers from the USA. It focuses on the planning and violent behaviours of such offenders. This was part of a special edition of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling.
Features and investigative implications of Muti Murder in South Africa 2004
This 2004 academic article appeared in the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling and focuses on investigative issues relating to ‘muti’ murder. In muti murders victims are attacked for the purpose of obtaining human body parts for use in twisted version of traditional African medicine.
Modus operandi, Signature and Fantasy as distinctive behaviour: Fundamental considerations in the case linkage of child rape cases 2014
In this 2004 academic article published in the peer reviewed journal Child Abuse Research: A South African Journal, Marcel van der Watt (UNISA), Johan van Graan (UNISA), and Dr Gérard Labuschagne explore the intricacies of modus operandi, signature and fantasy as distinctive behaviour in stranger rape cases involving child victims that were reported to the police in Port Elizabeth. These were in turn analysed by means of a rape matrix. The findings suggest that the presence of these three distinct behaviours in conjunction with aspects such as the geographic location and time of the rapes could be indicative of serial rape activity.
Serial homicide in South Africa intro to special issue 2015
This 2015 academic publication is the introduction to the special edition of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling that focused on a serial murder study that was a collaborative research project by the Investigative Psychology Section of the SAPS and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. This publication is co-authored by Dr Gérard Labuschagne and Dr Gabrielle Salfati.
South African Serial Homicide - A victim focused behavioral typology 2015
This 2015 academic article was co-authored by Amber Horning, Dr Gabrielle Salfati (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York), and Dr Gérard Labuschagne and was published in special edition of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling. The study assessed the value of the Interpersonal Model in differentiating serial homicide offences in South Africa, notably in terms of how the offender may display behavioural patterns that are indicative of them dealing with the victim as a Person, an Object, or a Vehicle. The sample consisted of 302 offences committed by 33 offenders that occurred from 1953 to 2007 in South Africa.
Chapter: Use of linkage analysis as an investigative tool and evidential material in serial offences 2012
This 2012 chapter from the book Serial Offenders: Theory and Practice edited by Kevin Borgeson (USA), looks at how linkage analysis can be used during the investigation and prosecution of serial offenders such as serial rapists and serial murderers.
Chapter: Stewart Wilken-Serial murder, Necrophilia and Cannibalism - A South African Case Study 2017
This 2017 chapter from the book Understanding Necrophilia- A Global Multidisciplinary Approach, edited by Dr Lee Mellor (Canada), Dr Anil Agrawal(India) and Dr Eric Hickey (USA), takes a look at the case study of South African serial murderer Stewart Wilken from Port Elizabeth, and the role of necrophilia and cannibalism in his series of murders.
Examination of Serial Homicide in SA - Practice to research link 2015
In this 2015 peer reviewed academic article co-authored by Dr Gérard Labuschagne and Dr Gabrielle Salfati (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York), South African serial homicide cases were used to illustrate how practice can inform research and how research can aid practice by highlighting key questions that need to be answered, and practice-based assumptions that need to be empirically tested. The cases discussed also highlight some of the unique features of murder series in South Africa. This was part of a special edition of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling.
Foreign object insertion in sexual homicide - Towards an offender profile 2008
This 2008 academic article co-authored by Dr Gérard Labuschagne and Professor Aubrey Theron (University of Pretoria) appeared in the journal of the Criminological Society of Southern Africa, Acta Criminologica. It focuses on the crime-scene behaviour of inserting objects into the vagina of sexual murder victims. It looks at a basic offender profile based on a limited number of cases in South Africa.
Serial homicide in SA - Consistency in victim types and crime scene actions 2015
This 2015 academic article was co-authored by Dr Gabrielle Salfati, Amber Horning, Dr Marina Sorochinski (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York) and Dr Gérard Labuschagne. The study focused on evaluating the consistency of victim, violence levels, control, and planning across series, using a sample of serial homicides from South Africa consisting of 30 offenders with a total of 283 victims and 235 crime scenes. This was part of a special edition of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling.
Serial murder - An interactional perspective on serial murder Part 1 2000
This 2000 academic article in the peer reviewed journal Acta Criminologica discusses looking at serial murder from an interactional perspective. It is part 1 of a two-part series of articles on the topic.
South African Serial Homicide - Offender and Victim Demographics and Crime Scene Actions 2015
This 2015 academic article was co-authored by Dr Gabrielle Salfati (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York*), Dr Gérard Labuschagne, Amber Horning*, Dr Marina Sorochinski* and Dr Jackie de Wet. It was published in special edition of the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling. The study aims to give an overview of the demographics of serial homicide offenders and victims in South Africa and compares these to the demographics of offenders and victims from other currently available empirical studies from other countries. The sample consisted of 33 out of the total 54 solved series in South Africa between 1936–2007, which includes a total of 33 offenders, 302 victims, and 254 crime scenes.