THE teenager accused of murdering Fico Dougan was definitely suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the death of his brother, a psychiatrist told a court today (Friday).
Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Tim Rogers also said that, in his opinion, the disorder made the 16-year-old defendant guilty of manslaughter and not murder.
Dr Rogers had assessed the defendant in January for the disorder and was satisfied it was a genuine mental health problem.
But he said he did not believe the defendant's use of cannabis on the day of the murder would have made him stab Mr Dougan, 17, who died of a wound to the heart.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is into the fourth day of his trial at The Old Bailey, where he is denying murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Dr Rogers, a defence expert witness, said the unexpected death of the defendant's brother just a few weeks prior to Mr Dougan's death had left the teenager with a number of symptoms of PTSD.
He said the disorder could have substantially impaired his ability to exercise self-control and that the stabbing was clearly "not planned".
The defendant's attempts to burn his clothes at his home in Mitcham were, Dr Rogers said, "reckless and incompetent" actions.
He said these actions were also in line with PTSD. Dr Rogers added: "The disorder changes a person's arousal and reactivity."
Dr Rogers told the jury he was, on the balance of probabilities, sure the defendant was not faking the disorder because he was an "incompetent liar".
He said the teenager had previously tried to fake "psychosis" as an explanation for the murder soon after he was first arrested, but had dropped the act after a day.
He said the symptoms of PTSD were too subtle for him to fake.
However, the consultant dismissed the notion that drugs played a part in the stabbing.
He said: "Cannabis doesn't feature in a loss of self-control. People tend to use it to relax or in a recreational way. Some people develop severe mental health problems from the use of it but this doesn't seem to be the case here."
Mr Dougan was fatally stabbed on September 25 last year at a house in Ockley Road, Broad Green.
The trial continues.
