©️ By Sophie Lewis | @sophielewiseditorial

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It didn’t start with grooming. It started with a silence.

She was asleep. He was nearby. Maybe he was a friend of the family, a boyfriend, a trusted co-worker, or even a stranger at a party. But in that moment, something clicked — and he decided her silence was permission.

This is the Opportunist.
He’s not driven by obsession, or strategy, or months of manipulation. He’s driven by one thing: opportunity.

And he takes it.

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“It Just Happened” — The Predator’s Favourite Lie

Opportunist predators are dangerous precisely because they don’t fit the expected mould. They may not spend months building trust, nor belong to organised networks. Instead, they rely on fleeting windows: intoxication, isolation, a lapse in supervision, or emotional vulnerability.

They are the ones who say:

“I didn’t mean to.”
“I thought she wanted it.”
“She didn’t say no.”

But absence of resistance is not consent. And silence isn’t approval — it’s context. The Opportunist weaponises moments where consent can’t be given and then retreats into denial.

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A Pattern That Hides in Plain Sight

They’re often “nice guys.” The one who walked her home. The one who “stayed to help.” The one everyone said would never do something like that. Until he did.

Many Opportunists:

• Offend while drunk or under the influence — then blame it.
• Take advantage of power imbalances without acknowledging them.
• Exploit moments of chaos, transition, or disorientation (after a party, during a breakup, when someone’s grieving or vulnerable).

Because their harm is tied to a specific moment — rather than a long campaign — it’s easier for others to dismiss it. Victims may question their own memory. Bystanders may excuse the predator’s behaviour as a “mistake.” The legal system may fail to act because it doesn’t fit a pre-planned model.

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They Rarely Do It Just Once

The myth is that these are “one-off” offenders. But data and survivor testimony suggest otherwise. Once someone has crossed the line — and seen how easy it is to avoid consequences — the likelihood of repeat offending increases.

He didn’t “accidentally” touch someone while they were passed out. He took the opportunity, then rationalised it.
He didn’t “misread signals” — he ignored the absence of them.

This isn’t about miscommunication. It’s about absence of care.

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The System’s Weakest Link

Opportunist predators thrive in environments with:

• Lack of supervision
• Cultural silence around boundaries
• Victim-blaming
• Misunderstandings of consent

That means workplaces, schools, parties, prisons, institutions, domestic settings — any space where oversight is patchy and power can shift moment to moment.

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Why This Typology Matters

Because Opportunists challenge everything we assume about abuse. That it’s always planned. That it’s always targeted. That it’s always part of a pattern.

But sometimes the only pattern is: if he can, he will.

And that’s why prevention isn’t just about watching for suspicious behaviour. It’s about creating cultures where consent is respected as the baseline — not the exception. Where silence isn’t a gap to exploit. And where accountability exists even when a predator says “I didn’t plan it.”

Because what he did was no accident.

He didn’t lose control. He took it.

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