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SINGAPORE: Amutha Valli Krishnan's former psychiatrist has admited that his first diagnosis that she was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2005 was flawed.
Amutha is suing Novena Church, two priests and six church-goers for allegedly performing an exorcism on her in August 2004.
Amutha claimed she fainted in church while praying and was led to a room where she was restrained and assaulted.
But the defence's version was that her family members had asked the church priests to pray over her because she was possessed and suicidal. She claimed the incident had traumatised her and she is now unable to live normally.
Dr Ong Thiew Chai, a senior consultant at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said his first diagnosis was flawed because he did not have information about her past psychiatric history.
51-year-old Amutha was treated at the National University Hospital from 1986 to 1989 for Dissociative Disorder where she displayed similar symptoms of repeated trance states. However, Amutha did not inform Dr Ong about this.
So defence lawyer, Denis Tan, got Dr Ong to concede that without such vital information, his first diagnosis of her illness was incorrect.
But later, when re-examined by Amutha's lawyer, Dr Ong said he still stands by his diagnosis after knowing about her psychiatric history now.
The defence wants to establish that Amutha and her family deliberately withheld such information from Dr Ong and that she does not suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
They want to show that Amutha was faking her trances and made up false memories of the alleged church incident to gain financial payments.
Dr Ong, who was on the witness stand for five days, asked the judge for permission to talk about how the defence lawyers have been treating him.
Dr Ong said most of the defence lawyers who cross-examined him displayed ‘gross emotional immaturity’.
Justice Lee Seiu Kin responded that he appreciates Dr Ong's efforts in assisting the court and that it can occasionally be traumatic for some witnesses.
However, Justice Lee said it is an adversarial system in court and lawyers have different styles of cross-examining. The aim is to come up with the truth by testing the evidence of witnesses. Friday was Dr Ong's last day on the witness stand. - CNA/vm
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