Saving Justice by Peter O'Mahoney

Author:Peter O'Mahoney [O'Mahoney, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Roam Free Publishing
Published: 2020-12-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

At five-past-eleven on day two, psychologist Dr. Mary Wellings walked to the stand full of confidence. She swore her oath without emotion, and sat in the witness box without even the slightest of smiles. Her hands were folded. Her black hair tied back without flair. Her jewelry was nice, but not expensive. To this audience, she presented herself as a woman without feelings. She was an expert, an unaffected observer of the facts. Despite her lack of flair, she had an undeniable presence. Her natural arrogance translated to confidence in front of the jury.

Prosecutor Rollins began by confirming Dr. Wellings’ credentials, which only added to the weight of her expertise. Her qualifications were impressive. She was a Harvard Graduate. Well-published. Presented speeches all over the world. She’d testified hundreds of times in sexual assault cases. The statement of her credentials was essential to establishing her ability to discuss the case as an expert witness. Unlike an eyewitness, who is limited to only discussing what they saw or did, Wellings was charged with assessing the available forensic psychological evidence and rendering an opinion for the court. After a lengthy introduction, Rollins began her questioning.

“Is this the assessment you made about Miss Jennings here?” Rollins held a five-page document in the air.

“It is. I interviewed Miss Jennings about the impact that the sexual assault had on her, and compiled the findings into the report. The report you have in your hand is the result of many hours of interviews and many hours of assessments. We recorded the interviews, and I was able to watch those interviews after the initial consultation.”

“How many times did you interview Miss Jennings?”

“Five times.”

“How long were those interviews?”

“The longest was over two hours, but each time we talked for at least an hour. In all, we talked for more than seven hours.”

“And can you please read the court the opening paragraph of the victim impact statement?”

“‘Miss Katherine Jennings has displayed significant mental harm from the sexual assault that occurred in the Mackie Gold Coast medical clinic on November 5th. Miss Jennings went to a person of trust and authority, and had that trust broken. She has displayed textbook trauma behaviors after the event.’”

“And what are some of those textbook behaviors?”

“Fear is the most common behavior. Victims who have been assaulted typically avoid anything that reminds them of the assault. In this instance, Miss Jennings displayed a lot of fear in her behavior after the assault. She avoided all medical practitioners, even female ones, and has avoided men around Dr. Mackie’s age.”

“Has Miss Jennings’ displayed any other behaviors?”

“Flashbacks, guilty feelings, depression, anxiety. Of most concern were the flashbacks she described. These are worrying because when this happens, it is almost as though the assault is occurring again. These flashbacks woke her up during the night.”

“In addition to these behaviors, how else did Miss Jennings react to the trauma?”

“A person reacts to trauma at three levels. These are physical, mental, and behavioral responses. These reactions can occur separately or simultaneously.

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