Nurse admits error in diagnosing Mubarek’s killer as ‘untreatable’

A psychiatric nurse has admitted that he made a “serious” mistake
in claiming Zahid Mubarek’s murderer Robert Stewart had an
“untreatable” personality disorder.

Christopher Kinealy assessed Stewart at Altcourse prison in 1999,
four months before he went on to kill his cellmate Mubarek at
Feltham young offender institution.

The Mubarek family’s counsel Dexter Dias told the public inquiry
into Mubarek’s death that Kinealy had known of treatments available
to Stewart but failed to refer him to a psychiatrist.

Kinealy’s entry into the inmate’s medical record said Stewart had a
“long-standing deep-seated personality disorder”. He described
Stewart’s condition as “untreatable” and recommended no further
action.

Dias asked Kinealy: “Do you not agree, given the weight that a
registered mental nurse has in the prison environment, that a
mistake such as that about the treatment or untreatability of
someone with psychopathic personality disorder is a serious
mistake?”

Kinealy replied: “You are quite correct, yes. I am sorry that I did
that now.”

He told the inquiry that he had acted out of “good faith”, and said
he had not referred Stewart to a psychiatrist because he was
required to prioritise resources at Altcourse.

“There simply was not enough time or psychiatrists to see everybody
who I thought had an untreatable mental condition,” he said.
The inquiry heard that a report commissioned by the inquiry from
Professor John Gunn, an expert psychiatrist, stated that a
psychiatric referral should have been made as a result of Stewart’s
behaviour.

Kinealy also admitted that he “could not remember” whether or not
he had read Stewart’s inmate medical record Dias said the record
revealed a “plethora of really disturbing behaviour” that would
have led to Kinealy taking greater action. He told Kinealy: “It
beggars belief that you did look at the inmate’s medical record and
did nothing about it.”

Kinealy pointed out to the inquiry that Stewart, who is now at
Woodhill Prison, had still not been transferred to a psychiatric
unit.

He said: “Five years down the line, when other far better qualified
people than me – consultant psychiatrists – have seen him, he is
still in jail.”

The inquiry continues.

More from Community Care

Comments are closed.