The ‘Fifty Shades Defence’: Media representations of sexual agency and victim blaming in the Grace Millane Case

This research investigates UK media coverage of the murder of Grace Millane, focusing on articles that featured her killer’s use of the ‘Fifty Shades defence’, an attempt to frame the killing as consensual rough sex gone wrong. Thirteen articles were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) within a social constructionist epistemology. The analysis developed three key themes: Pathology of “Other”, where the killer is represented as pathologically different from societal norms; Sexual Respectability and the Boundaries of Victimhood, in which public discourse about the victim’s private life is portrayed as perpetuating the harm inflicted by the murderer; and Male Impunity in Violence Against Women, where male sexuality is constructed as inherently harmful to women. The findings illustrate a media-driven dichotomy reminiscent of the Madonna-whore complex, whereby women are either innocent and naïve or reckless participants in hedonistic practices. Crucially, women are not afforded representations in which they can enjoy sex or engage in kink without being constructed as culpable for their own harm. This study contributes to discussions about media portrayals of sexual violence, consent, and the limits imposed on women’s sexual agency.