Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Groom's Alleged Assault of Bridesmaid Didn't Surprise Sexual Violence Experts

In the Pennsylvania case, the groom, Daniel Carney, was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of an unconscious person, simple assault and indecent assault last week

A Pennsylvania groom’s alleged sexual assault of one of his wife’s bridesmaids days before their wedding made national headlines. But experts say that while it may be unusual for a groom to be the alleged assailant, sexual violence at weddings and similar events may be more common than people realize, NBC News reports.

"There are some unique circumstances surrounding a wedding that someone could exploit easily" to commit sexual assault, said Kristen Houser of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.

An inherent sense of trust among a wedding’s guests; a sense of lightheartedness; the free flow of alcohol — all of these can be ingredients for an act of sexual violence, Houser said.

Often people associate such risk factors with college campuses, but weddings aren’t much different, she said.

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