Obsessive messaging

Extract from the pre-sentence report, author unknown. A number of Huw's managers and colleagues will be interested.... 

"At the time of the offences, Mr Edwards describes an unhealthy lifestyle featuring excessive use and misuse of prescribed medication. He has expressed some disappointment that although family members had commented on these changes, there had not been a greater effort by those around him to challenge him openly about this. He asserts that he does not seek to place blame on others for his own failings but he became so entrenched in his own situation and deteriorating mental health, that he was unable to objectively assess and take positive action.

I have read the Neuropsychiatric Report prepared by Dr Isaac and do not intend to repeat the information contained within that report but note the comments relating to the impact of his diagnosed mental health problems at the time of the offences; "The overarching diagnosis is major depressive disorder, moderate, recurrent, without psychotic features". Additionally, he has been diagnosed with small vessel disease (arteriosclerosis) which is described as cognitive disorder with behavioural disturbance. " 

The qualifier 'with behavioural disturbance' reflects changes in Mr Edwards' behaviour, but in my view fed into his overall judgment and capacity to make decisions, mainly because of the development of his
mood disorder, but compounded by the presence of the neurocognitive disorder, from 2018 and well established by the material time at the end of 2020. This condition will have reduced Mr Edwards' cognitive reserve, rendering him more vulnerable to the adverse cognitive effects of alcohol.

Since approximately 2018, both of these conditions (neurocognitive disorder and mood disorder) are more likely than not to have impaired Mr Edwards' decision making and judgment, including his ability to comply with management instructions, reducing his normal inhibition and becoming 'stuck' in behaviours, such as obsessive messaging, whether appropriate or not, but at the same time detached from his communication, in that he would either forget what he had said or do so on a kind of 'autopilot,' without any real judgment of how such communications might be perceived or his actions impact on others." (Dr Isaac, 28/08/2024)