Crown Court

X was assessed on the 27.05.2015 in HMP Bristol, from 14:40 hours to 16:00 hours, a period of an hour and twenty minutes. He had a depressive mental state as a consequence of his physical ill-health and as a consequence of his most recent arrest and remand on charges of a “conspiracy to manufacture and supply class A and B controlled drugs to another”. He had an age and ill- health related cognitive impairment (the early stages of dementia). His complaints of memory problems appeared genuine and related to his carcinoma of the prostate and pharmaceutical treatment thereof, improperly treated hypertensive state (high blood pressure) and associated vitamin D and folic acid deficiencies. From the information provided, and from assessment, he understood the charges levied against him and the consequences of conviction. As a consequence of his blunted affective disorder (depressed mental state) it was believed that he would have difficulty in comprehending and retaining all of the advanced degrees of information required in examination and cross-examination, because of his short attention span. It was believed that he would be unfit to plead and unfit to stand trial in his current mental state. That if he did stand trial any available measures such as assistance, frequent breaks and modifications to the manner of questioning, would assist his comprehension of events.