Psychiatric expert evidence for the courts

Forensic Psychiatry Experts is a group of consultant forensic psychiatrists providing independent expert reports and oral evidence to the courts of England and Wales.

Send an enquiry Our experts

What we report on

Criminal, civil, family and tribunal work. Each instruction is allocated to the expert in the group best placed to take it.

Fitness to pleadWhether a defendant can participate in their trial, assessed against the Pritchard criteria.Psychiatric defencesAn overview of fitness to plead, insanity, automatism and diminished responsibility.InsanityMental state at the time of the offence under the M'Naghten Rules, and the special verdict.AutomatismWhether the act was involuntary, and whether the cause was internal or external.Diminished responsibilityThe partial defence to murder under section 2 of the Homicide Act 1957, as amended in 2009.
Mens rea and capacity to form intentWhether a mental disorder bore on the defendant's capacity to form the intent the offence requires.
Sentencing and hospital disposalsReports for sentence, including hospital, restriction and hybrid orders under sections 37, 41 and 45A of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Risk and dangerousnessStructured risk assessment, including for the dangerousness provisions at sentence.
Effective participation and special measuresWhat a vulnerable but fit defendant or witness needs in order to take part fairly.
Parole BoardPsychiatric reports on risk and treatment needs for parole proceedings.
Mental Health TribunalIndependent psychiatric reports for the First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health).
Family court and Court of ProtectionParental mental health in care proceedings, and capacity questions before the Court of Protection.
Civil and personal injuryPsychiatric injury, causation and prognosis in civil claims.
Professional disciplinary hearings and extraditionPsychiatric evidence for regulatory panels and extradition proceedings.

How instruction works

  1. Enquiry

    Email or telephone with the nature of the case, the questions for the expert, the court and any deadlines. Informal advice before instructing is welcome.

  2. Quote and allocation

    We reply within one working day with a quote and the name of the expert best suited to the case.

  3. Assessment

    Typically within 4 weeks of instruction - in prison, hospital, the community, or remotely where appropriate.

  4. Report

    Typically within 4 weeks of assessment, written to the Criminal or Civil Procedure Rules and the expert's duty to the court. Oral evidence where required.

The practice

Our consultants have worked across high, medium and low secure hospitals, prisons and community forensic services, and between them have given evidence in the Crown Court, the Royal Courts of Justice, the Family Court, the Court of Protection, the Parole Board and the Mental Health Tribunal. Every report is written within the expert's overriding duty to the court.

The practice is led by Dr Nicholas Taylor, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Medical Director, who has acted as an expert witness since 2004 and writes pritchardcriteria.uk, a reference on the legal test for fitness to plead.

Meet the team

Request an expert opinion

Tell us about the case and we will reply within one working day.

contact@forensicpsychiatryexperts.co.uk

0116 380 5641

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