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13/12/01 - Psychiatrist who told
a judge that Whiting was no paedophile
By Christian Gysin and Stephen Wright
Daily Mail
THIS is the psychiatrist who concluded Roy Whiting was
not a paedophile. Dr Tony Farrington compiled a report
when the pervert admitted kidnapping and indecently
assaulting a nine-year-old girl in 1995. Despite harrowing
evidence, Dr Farrington told Lewes Crown Court the accused
did not have a treatable mental disorder and did not
have paedophile tendencies.
The judge was told the psychiatrist had difficulty in
assessing Whiting because the defendant had 'drawn a
veil over his actions, as a self-defence mechanism'.
The report itself maintained there was a 'high risk
that the defendant will reoffend' - but did not make
any recommendation to the court.
The findings almost certainly had a critical bearing
on how Whiting was dealt with by Judge John Gower and
later by prison authorities. A senior Sussex police
source said: 'If Whiting had been classed as a paedophile,
there is a chance he would have undergone some form
of treatment while in prison.
Instead, he served two years without any counselling.
'I cannot understand how Dr Farrington came to the conclusion
that Whiting's actions in 1995 did not display paedophile
tendencies.' Six years on, Dr Farrington now helps investigate
complaints against fellow psychiatrists, working as
a special adviser to the Health Service Ombudsman.
Yet he steadfastly declined to discuss his own report
on Whiting. At the time of his assessment he was a visiting
consultant psychiatrist at Lewes prison. Prior to that
he helped with 'drug awareness' projects in Sussex.
He rents a flat in North London during the week before
returning to his £220,000 home in Sheffield at
weekends.
Asked by the Daily Mail to explain his 1995 assessment
and told that Whiting had gone on to kidnap and murder
an eight-year-old girl - Dr Farrington cited medical
and civil service rules as his reason for saying nothing
beyond a formal statement.
He said in that statement: 'I have only the vaguest
recollection of Roy Whiting. I have no notes or copy
of my report available to me from 1995. They will be
in his prison inmate medical record to which I have
no access. 'I don't remember what I said in the report.
Of course, I'm curious as to its content and whether
my assessment at the time was in any way predictive
of the future.
'To the extent that my report was quoted in open court,
it is in the public domain, but I am not in a position
to authorise any further publication. 'You will understand
that I do not want to be involved in public discussion
of the case; I was then and am now bound by civil service
rules as well as medical confidentiality.'
The Mail has obtained a copy of the report, compiled
after Dr Farrington interviewed Whiting 17 days before
his court appearance. Part of it stated: 'He denies
any sexual attraction to children of either sex. 'He
says that the friendship element of relationships is
most important for him, and that personally rates more
highly than sex in making relationships.
'His mental state shows him to be emotionally liable,
with his mood varying between an inappropriate cheerfulness,
to distress and tears. He describes himself as feeling
confused and restless, as though things are falling
apart. There is no evidence of delusions, hallucinations
or any consistent morbid mood.
'His mental state is consistent with someone who is
in very serious trouble, and does not indicate any mental
disorders. 'I conclude that Whiting does not have any
formal mental disorder. His personal history does not
indicate any serious degree of personality disorder
although character traits of social isolation and low
sexual drive are apparent.
'His sexual orientation is basically heterosexual and
directed towards women. He is not a paedophile.' It
continued: 'Prediction of risk in the future is difficult.
A man who has offended this way once is more likely
to offend again than someone who has never offended.
'The offence itself, with preparation in advance, then
the impulsive and almost random selection of the victim,
suggests that this behaviour had been generally rehearsed
in his imagination in advance - which concludes therefore
that he is a relatively high risk of reoffending.'
But Dr Farrington added: 'He has no treatable mental
disorder and I do not have any recommendation for the
court.' Last night Dr Farrington said: 'I have to hang
on to the fact that I did tell the court about the high
risk of reoffending. Tragically, it looks as if I was
right. I wish I had been wrong.' |
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