US fugitive Nicholas Rossi is mentally fit to be extradited to the United States, a psychiatrist told a court.
Dr Kunal Choudhary said the evidence “suggested” Rossi had a “personality disorder”, but he didn’t have an “acute mental illness”.
He said any personality disorder would be “unlikely to create a barrier to his extradition”.
And Dr Choudhary concluded Rossi’s overall mental health “should not hinder his transfer” to the US.
He was giving evidence on Tuesday at the extradition hearing for Rossi, 35, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after being asked by the defence to carry out a psychiatric assessment.
Dr Choudhary evaluated Rossi, 35, via a video link in May from the city’s Saughton Prison where the accused is being held on remand.
Rossi, who is fighting a bid to return him to his US homeland to face charges including rape, continues to claim he’s an Irishman called Arthur Knight.
Rossi was arrested at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in December 2021 while receiving treatment for Covid-19.
Giving evidence via video link, English-based psychiatrist Dr Choudhary said he had been able to study Rossi’s previous medical records.
The court was told a psychiatrist assessed Rossi in October 2020 and noted a “past history of ADHD and PTSD”.
That psychiatrist concluded Rossi had physical, psychosomatic and psychiatric symptoms “which almost defy categorization and diagnosis”.
Dr Choudhary agreed with a suggestion from Rossi’s lawyer, Mungo Bovey KC, that his client had a “very strange collection of symptoms and behaviours”.
Mr Bovey said: “It’s almost as if his personality is disordered.”
Dr Choudhary replied: “Yes.”
The doctor said the evidence “suggested” Rossi had a “personality disorder”, but that could only be diagnosed after “multiple assessments”.
He told the court that Rossi believes PTSD is the predominant issue for him rather than a personality disorder.
Dr Choudhary added: “Even if a personality disorder were present, it wouldn’t change my diagnosis.
“It’s unlikely to create a barrier to his extradition.”
He told the hearing that a personality disorder is “entrenched behavioural traits” which are long-running and may have roots in childhood trauma or a “fractured upbringing”.
Those behaviours might include disregarding societal norms, volatile behaviour, and frequent disputes with authority, he added.
A personality disorder can be treatable, he said, but the patient must accept they have the condition and work hard with psychiatric professionals to mitigate it.
Dr Choudhary said his evaluation found Rossi had a “low mood” which was “suggestive of a moderate depressive episode”, but was “pleasant, polite and engaging” during their interaction.
Under cross examination from advocate depute Alan Cameron, the witness said Rossi told him he was Arthur Knight from Ireland and didn’t know who Nicholas Rossi was.
Dr Choudhary agreed with his report on Rossi which said there was “no current evidence of acute psychosis”, adding there was no evidence the accused was “disorientated between reality and fantasy”.
The doctor agreed his report found there was nothing from a “mental health perspective” to “hinder” Rossi being extradited to the US.
The hearing before Sheriff Norman McFadyen continues.
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