Piquerism

Piquerism or picquerism (from the French "piquer" - "to prick") is a paraphilia and form of sadomasochism in which one finds sexual gratification through penetration of another person, most commonly by stabbing or cutting the body with sharp objects. The most frequently targeted areas of the body are the breasts, buttocks, or groin.

Examples

Jack the Ripper

Dr. Robert D. Keppel (and the co-authors of his study) concluded in an analysis of London's Jack the Ripper murders of 1888 that "the injuries sustained by the victims displayed the signature characteristic of picquerism."

Albert Fish

Notorious serial killer Albert Fish often partook in piquerism upon his victims and his own body, flagellating himself constantly with a nail-studded board. After his arrest and subsequent jailing for the murder of Grace Budd, an X-Ray revealed two-dozen needles that were inserted into his groin.

In popular culture

Piquerism was featured in a of entitled "Pique," in which a man acts out anonymous piquerist attacks on women in public places by jabbing them in the buttocks with hat pins. He is ultimately driven to murder his mother by stabbing her to death with a knife.

References

*"The Jack the Ripper Murders: A Modus Operandi and Signature Analysis of the 1888-1891 Whitechapel Murders" - Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling 2: 1-21 (2005) - Robert D. Keppel, Joseph G. Weis, Katherine M. Brown and Kristen Welch