The paedophile tumor

Brain tumour causes uncontrollable paedophilia

The sudden and uncontrollable paedophilia exhibited by a 40-year-old man was caused by an egg-sized brain tumour, his doctors have told a scientific conference. And once the tumour had been removed, his sex-obsession disappeared.

This is interesting because it points to the organic/biological nature of paedophilia. Generally recidivism for paedophilia is very high – up to 40% or more.

If it is clearly demonstrated that a person has no control over such urges, then more research into medical interventions (as opposed to strictly penal interventions) could be justified.

The man, a schoolteacher, began secretly visiting child pornography web sites and soliciting prostitutes at massage parlours, activities he had not engaged in previously. Swerdlow says while the man felt that his new behaviour was unacceptable, “in his words, the ‘pleasure principle’ overrode his restraint”.