A man with schizophrenia was the victim of a violent hate crime.
He gave a written statement to the police. An intermediary was asked to assess him. His symptoms included visual and auditory delusions and paranoid thoughts affecting his communication but the intermediary considered that he could give evidence with her assistance.
The prosecution’s application for the intermediary to be present at trial was contested by the defence, but agreed to by the judge. The intermediary made recommendations about how the lawyers should question the witness. These included avoiding muttering, covering their mouths or rustling their papers to avoid triggering his paranoid behaviours. During the trial, the man referred to a visual prompt card created by the intermediary, reminding him to listen to the questions and think before answering.