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SURVEY REVEALS 1 IN 10 WOMEN HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT COMMITTING AN ACT OF MURDER

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Embargoed until midnight Sunday 18 September


16 September 2011, UK – Research conducted by TV channel Crime & Investigation Network® (Crime - Sky channel 553 and Virgin Media channel 237) reveals that 1 in 10 women have considered committing an act of murder. In addition, 12% of women admitted that they’ve snapped and physically hurt their partner or spouse - compared with just 8% of men. The results, taken from a survey of 1000 men and women, suggest that women are becoming more prone to outbreaks of violence than ever before.

Micki Pistorious, criminal psychologist and author of Fatal Females and Profiling Serial Killers, says of the results: “Although men and women’s criminal behaviour is viewed differently by society, the number of serious offences committed by females is rising significantly. From my own observations, I’ve found that more women are having violent tendencies and murderous thoughts. The fact that the Crime survey reveals that 53% of women aged 18-24 have come close to snapping and physically hurting someone, in comparison with 60% of men, confirms that the gap is closing and women are becoming more violent.”

Within the last few months, UKnews stories like Elin Slingsby, who ran over her boyfriend after he cheated on a computer game[1] and Catherine Kieu Becke, who cut off her husband's penis and put it through a rubbish disposer for no apparent reason[2], have hit the papers indicating the impulsive nature of the outbursts. With violence becoming the most common crime among women and girls[3] and with 53% of women aged 18-24 saying they have come close to hurting someone, does it suggest we may see more women being convicted of harmful crimes in the future?

The survey showed that more than half of women cited anger and frustration as the main reasons why they would or already had lashed out at a loved one, with a fifth of respondents also blaming provocation. The third most common motive was jealousy and fidelity.

Jane Andrews, former aide to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was jailed for life after murdering Tom Cressman when he refused to marry her. Recently Tracie Andrews, who was jailed for killing her fiancé in one of Britain's most notorious road rage cases, was released. These are just a few examples where factors such as anger and frustration, similar to responses revealed in the survey, have lead to murderous actions.

The results coincide with the launch of Crime & Investigation Network’s brand new and exclusive series of SNAPPED: WOMEN WHO KILL, which airs every weeknight at 11pm from Monday 19 September on Sky channel 553 and Virgin Media channel 237. Documenting the lives of ordinary women who have been pushed to murder, exploring the reasons why and the motives behind their actions, the new series will follow the murder trials which resulted from similar issues highlighted in the survey.

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Notes to editors

  1. 1.       Research conducted by Redshift Research (www.redshiftresearch.co.uk) who surveyed 1000 adults ageing from 18-55+ across the UK.
  2. 2.       Please note that some of the questions were multiple choice and so the answers relating to these would not always total 100%.
  3. 3.       Full survey statistics are available on request.
  4. 4.       In the context of this survey, ‘Snapped’ means: abruptly losing self-control and lashing out at another individual or individuals, resulting in physical harm to them. 
  5. 5.       SNAPPED: WOMEN WHO KILL series release and online short form clips available here http://webaccess.kinrossrender.com/ username: AETNUK. No password required.
  6. 6.       SNAPPED: WOMEN WHO KILL will broadcast Monday to Friday at 11pm from Monday 19 September.
  7. 7.       INTERVIEWS available with renowned Criminal Psychologist Micki Pistorious.
  8. 8.       INTERVIEWS available with Series Executive Producer Deborah Dawkins from NBC International.
  9. 9.       Visit www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/snapped for episode guides, image galleries, a gallery on infamous female killers, competitions and two exclusive articles from South African-based criminal psychologist Micki Pistorious.
  1. 10.   Crime & Investigation Network is on Sky channel 553 and Virgin Media channel 237. This is the eighth series of the programme and currently features 14 x 1hr episodes.
  2. 11.   The series was first shown in the US in 2004 and regularly attracts high audiences on the Oxygen Network. The series is produced by Jupiter Entertainment and distributed by NBC Universal.
  3. 12.   SNAPPED: WOMEN WHO KILL is the most successful long running franchise series on Crime & Investigation Network in the UK.
  4. 13.   The survey was conducted among 1,000 nationally representative adults in the UK. The interviews were conducted online by Redshift Research between  5th and 8th September 2011 using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total populations aged 18 and older. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results.

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AETN UK

AETN UK, a joint venture between A+E Networks and BSkyB, is a leading broadcaster representing a portfolio of high-quality, ground-breaking factual channels including HISTORY™, HISTORY™HD, Crime & Investigation Network®, Crime & Investigation Network® HD, Bio®, Bio® HD and MILITARY HISTORY™. AETN UK launched in November 1995 and operates channels in 27 countries across UK, Scandinavia, Benelux, Central & Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and is available in more than 60 million homes and in 14 languages.

A+E Networks

A+E Networks is an award-winning, global media content company offering consumers a diverse communications environment ranging from television networks to websites, to home videos/DVDs to gaming and educational software. A+E Networks is comprised of A&E Network®, Lifetime, History™, Lifetime Movie Network, Bio®, History International™, History en espaňol™, Crime & Investigation Network®, Military History™, Lifetime Real Women, A&E IndieFilms®, A+E Networks International, A+E Networks Digital and A+E Networks Consumer Products.  A+E channels and branded programming reach more than 300 million households in over 150 countries.  A+E Networks is a joint venture of Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBC Universal. 


[1] Cheating gamer is run over twice by girlfriend, ’Metro, 5 August 2011

[2] Woman cuts off husband's penis, Daily Telegraph, 13 July 2011

[3] Ministry of Justice 2008

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