Gang rapes are usually led by single individual, analysis of attacks shows

'The followers are allowing the leader to lead. The leader and the group members are mutually reinforcing each other,' says lead researcher

A woman holds a placard reading "It is not Abuse is Rape" during a protest outside the Supreme Court in Madrid in June when the Supreme Court found five men who called themselves "The Pack" guilty of gang rape overturning previous convictions of the lesser offence of sexual abuse (AFP/Getty)

Gang rapes are most often carried out by groups in which a strong leader is able to influence the behaviour of followers, a study has found.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham, Lancaster University and the University of Gloucestershire discovered a “follow the leader” mentality is a key characteristic of physically violent rapes carried out by multiple perpetrators.

The study examined 71 accounts of group rapes by lone female victims in which a group leader could clearly be identified.

It found in rapes with a high level of physical violence, the group leader’s aggression is the trigger for the assault, but by copying his behaviour, other members of the group forge a social norm that allows the lead perpetrator to continue the violent actions.

Researchers found group member's imitation often serves to reinforce or justify the leader’s behaviour.

Professor Jessica Woodhams, of the University of Birmingham’s School of Psychology, who was the lead researcher, said: “Group rapes tend to be more physically violent in general than rapes by lone perpetrators, but little is known about exactly why this is.

“Previous research has suggested that victim resistance might provoke more violent attacks, or that it’s the nature of being in a group, in which perpetrators lose their sense of self-identity and self-control resulting in violent behaviour.

“But our evidence points much more strongly to a third theory, in which group dynamics are particularly important, with weaker individuals following the actions of a more charismatic leader. Many of these offences are carried out by adolescents, at an age when peer influence is particularly strong – refusal to participate in an attack could lead to humiliation by the rest of the group or even a physical attack.”

She said there were a whole slew of reasons group member’s mimic the leader’s behaviour – citing a desire to be similar to the leader and also a yearning to be accepted by the group.

Dr Woodhams added: “If you do not conform or comply, you can be ostracised from the group. These are often peers you look up to. The followers are allowing the leader to lead. The leader and the group members are mutually reinforcing each other."

Researchers said getting a better understanding of how and why violence can spiral and escalate can not only be useful to judges and barristers in apportioning blame fairly and making sentencing decisions but also help psychologists generate better rehabilitation programmes for offenders.

Professor Woodhams added: “If the courts better understand the different roles of the offenders in multiple perpetrator sexual offences and recognise the influence of peers on the leaders, this is likely to lead to fairer sentencing overall.”

Dr Hannah Bows, assistant professor in criminal law at Durham University's Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse, who was not involved in the study but specialises in violence against women, said: “The findings certainly give us food for thought.

"Other work, including studies in the US looking at group rapes of university students, have pointed towards similar cultural beliefs and attitudes that are reinforced in group contexts e.g. sports clubs etc where a particular ‘type’ of masculinity – often described as toxic and hegemonic masculinity – encourage, facilitate and legitimise violence against women.”

She said the study’s findings appeared to support “the core understandings of sexual violence as a symptom and consequence of women’s subordination and men’s power and control over them, and the need for men to assert and maintain their power through violence”.

One in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence at some point in her lifetime, mostly by an intimate partner, according to the World Health Organisation.

The study comes after last month saw campaigners condemn a stark rise in sexual assaults carried out by multiple attackers in Spain – saying punishments for such crimes are too lenient because judges hold outdated macho views.

There were 14 group sex attacks in 2017, according to the Geoviolencia Sexual project. This rose to 59 in 2018, and there have been 14 in the first three months of this year. For 104 recorded cases, it is believed there were 356 aggressors involved. One in three victims in those cases were minors.