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Peter Sutcliffe going to normal prison

(59 Posts)
Anya Thu 25-Aug-16 19:13:51

Very easy to fake mental health symptoms if you've done your homework.

But, can people who commit such crimes be sane? Or is there such a thing as evil?

I would query whether it is possible to treat schizophrenia based on living with a parent who had this condition. Keep it under control, for some people, for some of the time, just possibly,

Iam64 Thu 25-Aug-16 19:07:43

I seem to remember three psychiatrists diagnosed him as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He has been on anti psychotic medication for a long time. I assume he was sent to Broadmoor because he was judged to be clinically insane. He was also subjected to attacks in prison, in one of which he lost an eye.

Brady is in one of the Liverpool secure mental health units I think. I can't recall what his diagnosis was but it I suspect both he and Myra have/ had psychopathic personality disorders.

Having a treatable mental health problem, like schizophrenia, doesn't exclude the individual also having a personality disorder.

Stansgran Thu 25-Aug-16 18:56:15

The trouble is that when people are being assessed the assessor only knows what they are like at that point not what they were like when "normal" I've just seen someone I know very well being assessed as compos mentis when in fact they are behaving completely out of character.

gettingonabit Thu 25-Aug-16 18:20:40

I've also read that Sutcliffe did not have schizophrenia at the time of his imprisonment. This, I thought, was well known at the time; however his plea was of manslaughter, not murder. He claimed diminished responsibility based on hearing voices from God but I'm fairly sure this was discounted at the time. He was jailed for murder.

I've no idea why he was sent to Broadmoor. Isn't Brady there too? Maybe things have changed. Perhaps the sentencing was based on different factors back then.

Anyhow, I'm sure he'll have a very difficult time in prison.

mumofmadboys Thu 25-Aug-16 18:20:39

I worked with the forensic psychiatrist who assessed him at the time and he felt PS was clearly suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He was charged with murder as it was felt that the public would accept no other charge but manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility would have been more appropriate apparently.

Charleygirl Thu 25-Aug-16 18:06:12

I have a feeling that he will not take too kindly to the move because it will be a very different life. I cannot see him being treated well by the other prisoners.

Smileless2012 Thu 25-Aug-16 17:44:44

If I remember correctly there was a significant amount of doubt at the time as to whether he really was suffering from schizophrenia; his wife was and it was suspected that he used his knowledge of her condition and how it affected her to justify being hospitalised for his crimes rather than be sent to prison.

If he has been putting on an act all of this time he's done a pretty convincing job of it. Perhaps the victims' families if they doubted his defense, will be pleased to learn that he'll spend the rest of his life in prison.

BlueBelle Thu 25-Aug-16 17:30:19

Apparently it's going to save a lot of money maybe they think savings have to be made so why keep a killer of 13 women in a hospital any longer or maybe they think he s been winging it all the time or maybe they have him stable on certain drugs that can be administered anywhere

ollieamber54 Thu 25-Aug-16 17:22:31

The Yorkshire Ripper is moving from psychiatric prison to a normal prison after three decades. Forgive me, I don't knnow much about specific mental health issues, but why now? As far as I know schizophrenia is incurable, or maybe they just have it under control enough to put him in with everyone else? must be painful for the victims' families to have it all dredged up again