Female killers 'more creative then men', according to Dr Sigrun Rossmanith in her new book Are Women Better Murderers?

FEMALE killers are more creative, rarely kill strangers and are often first-time offenders, a forensic psychiatrist says in a new book.

Aileen Wuornos, who was played by Charlize Theron in the movie Monster, is one of the most high profile female killers.

FEMALE killers are more creative, rarely kill strangers and are often first-time offenders, a forensic psychiatrist says in a new book.

Sigrun Rossmanith told Speigel Online that women often have to rely on smarts and tend to think the act through in a lot more detail then men.

"They are certainly more creative than men. More inventive," she said. "Take the revenge incident that I describe in the book: An unfaithful wife from Asia passionately kisses her partner - and in doing so slips a cyanide capsule into his mouth, which he is forced to swallow. She combines an act of love with the murder. Would a man come up with such an idea? "

Dr Rossmanith's book Are Women Better Murderers? has just been published in Germany (and available on Amazon.)

She said perhaps because women aren't as physically strong as men, they are ten times less likely to kill someone.

"Naturally, they must compensate for a lack of physical strength. Often they render their victims defenseless in order to actually carry out the act," she said. "A frequently used tool is incidentally the knife, a distinctly European trait compared with the United States, where firearms are predominantly used."

Dr Rossmanith said the victims women select to kill they often have a relationship with.

"Women rarely kill strangers. Most conflicts arise in one's own four walls, and they can escalate. It often happens that victims, in a reversal of roles, become perpetrators," she said.

Dr Rossmanith said she believes "no one is immune to committing acts of insanity" and that feminism is often the reason that society doesn't talk about the capacity for women to become killers.

"One already assumes that men have the potential to be violent, brutal and egocentric. They don't have to cover up that side of themselves. But we women are supposed to act as if it doesn't exist in us," she said. "In my life, I have often witnessed how incredibly hard women can be. How scheming they can be with each other. I am personally more afraid of the vengeance of women than that of men."