Became a member of the Royal College of psychiatrists in 1997. He is a consultant forensic psychiatrist. He has a particular interest in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. He interviewed the defendant for four hours on the 6th of march 2023, and has had access to the other psychiatric reports and records. Professor blackwood concluded that, while the defendant demonstrated some evidence of difficulty in developing relationships, and a degree of fixation in his interests and attraction to routines, he does not meet the required criteria for an autism disorder. He said that in his 18 months after leaving six from couege 18 months after leaving six from college the defendant struggled to establish settled employment and medium term plans for his life. He played socially isolated, lonely, angry and frustrated. His twin sister left to go to university in autumn 2020, and his grandmother died. Professor blackwood does not think that the observations of the defendants family, the
And weight loss, psychological symptoms such as hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. Symptoms such as hopelessness and suicidalthoughts. I now symptoms such as hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. I now set out the conclusions i have come to about the psychiatric issues and my assessment of the defendants culpability. I shall not refer to all the points which have been made in evidence and argument, but sufficient to explain my conclusions and the reasons for them. Obviously, an important question is, what prompted the defendant to behave in the way he did . The explanation he has offered at various times to the medical professionals who have spoken to him and in his own pronouncements before his arrest has been that the events on the 25th Of December were prompted by injustice, including the amritsar massacre. He felt the need to avenge these matters. The defendant has not given evidence before me, and so there is nothing from him from the witness box to contradict, undermine or qualify