Bipolar Briton faces execution in China.

[sheothebudworths]

Dr Peter Schaapveld, a London-based consultant clinical and forensic psychologist, said: "If this case occurred in Britain, mental health issues would be played all the way through the process: Should he be charged? Should be found guilty at all? Should his condition ameliorate the sentence?"

Schaapveld flew to China five months ago to evaluate Shaikh's mental condition but the authorities refused to let him see the prisoner. However, foreign office officials were allowed to spend 15 minutes with Shaikh. From their description of Shaikh's behaviour, Shaapveld was able to deduce with "99% certainty" that he was suffering from a mental disorder that could either be bipolar or schizophrenia.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/11/briton-execution-china-smuggling-heroin

 

[Obnoxiousness]

Your whole existence, your whole body and everything that is you, is controlled by your mind. When your mind fucks up and is out of control, then what is left to handle everyday life?

 

[sheothebudworths]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/13/mentally-ill-briton-china-execution


Clive Stafford Smith...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/oct/24/china-death-penalty


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/21/briton-death-sentence-confirmed-china

 

[Obnoxiousness]

 

[sheothebudworths]

both are/were medicated, I believe. Both have done/did incredibly dangerous things in their lives, but again neither struck me as being devoid of reason or any sense of consequences...

So you conclude from your study of two, that that is representative of mental illness as a whole?

WTF?!?

FTR though, the man in question was not apparently aware that he was carrying heroin in his bags in any case - just that he was on his way to pop stardom.

Fits yer picture now, eh?

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

So he went to china to become a popstar and had tried to set up an airline in Poland.

That seems like quite hypomanic or manic behaviour to me.

Sounds like pretty run of the mill ESL teacher in China material to me...

 

[Tacita]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/11/briton-execution-china-smuggling-heroin

Are you sure he doesn't post on here?

Typical of the hundreds of emails he sent to embassy staff in Warsaw is one that states: "Hey old chap u have any marshmallows. i man luvly bonfire u must roast some marshmellows I mean that's NOrMal." Another reads: "There is no such thinG as an englishmaN I mean king harold got it smack bang center in the EYE. its just not cricket anymore."

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Mental health hospital would be the best result, if they have such things in China.

Sadly, I think that in China (and a lot of East Asia) mental illness is not really acknowledged. I had kids with clear behavioural issues whose problems were just disregarded or laughed off by Chinese teachers.

 

[sheothebudworths]

^^^^

Bog standard stuff for the 'nutter' defence!

 

[Tacita]

Sadly, I think that in China (and a lot of East Asia) mental illness is not really acknowledged. I had kids with clear behavioural issues whose problems were just disregarded or laughed off by Chinese teachers.

that's certainly my understanding of the situation.

 

[weltweit]

How much does medication for bipolar cost per day, I wonder?

Don't know this, I get mine on prescription so no idea what they really cost.

There are some 39 different medicines sometimes prescribed to bipolar patients, they must vary in cost, but what they cost I have no idea.

 

[Obnoxiousness]

Reason I asked was that it's unlikely that this guy is medicated. Moving to China, where would he get meds from? So if he is untreated then he's gonna be much worse than those being treated by the NHS.

 

[weltweit]

Sending disjointed nonsensical emails .. and ranting incoherently in the court, these things are very familiar to me they do not indicate a well person!

 

[sheothebudworths]

It's unlikely that he's being treated at all, given that they appear to be refusing to acknowledge the fact that he might be ill in the first place.

 

[weltweit]

Sadly, I think that in China (and a lot of East Asia) mental illness is not really acknowledged. I had kids with clear behavioural issues whose problems were just disregarded or laughed off by Chinese teachers.

So, I wonder what they do with mentally ill people?
Do they just leave them on the streets?

Anyhow, back to this guy, apparently he has kids in London and presumably a wife. He sounds ill to me.

 

[weltweit]

There is a lot on Google about him:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...earch&meta=cr=countryUK|countryGB&aq=null&oq=

And now that I think about it I think I was emailed something on it, or perhaps it was a subject on Twitter.

aha :

Stephen Fry begs China to spare life of mentally ill Briton facing death by firing squad
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...lly-ill-Briton-facing-death-firing-squad.html

 

[weltweit]

He was arrested in Sept 2007 and has been held for the two years since then.

 

[maomao]

So, I wonder what they do with mentally ill people?
Do they just leave them on the streets?

They have much stronger family and community structures.

 

[weltweit]

They have much stronger family and community structures.

What kind of community structures do you mean?

For people with bipolar without medication life for others can be awful.

 

[futha]

What is that first photo of? (obviously apart from a guy pointing a gun at somneone). What is the story behind it, do you know at all?

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

that's certainly my understanding of the situation.

There was this one kid in particular, he'd do things like just stand up in the middle of the class and start taking off his clothes. Chinese teachers would just say 'He is a bit crazy. Don't worry about it.'

 

[weltweit]

BBC R4 midnight news, just said that China has said they will execute him on the 29th Dec.

The Foreign office is asking for clemency.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

"We very much hope that Akmal Shaikh does not become a victim of the regrettably cold political climate that has resulted [from Copenhagen].

"The Prime Minister should speak directly with President Hu, emphasise that Chinese compassion would be viewed as a great favour to the British people, and note the consistent view of Chinese and British doctors that a full mental health assessment is vital to assess how Akmal's illness contributed to the offence."

Sadly our PM is wholly spineless

Hopefully the Chinese will show some compassion.

 

[Fullyplumped]

Sadly our PM is wholly spineless

Should he send a gunboat? Two, perhaps? Apologise for any hurt feelings the Chinese government may have felt about being criticised at Copenhagen? Please offer your thoughts on what HMG ought to do.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Should he send a gunboat? Two, perhaps? Apologise for any hurt feelings the Chinese government may have felt about being criticised at Copenhagen? Please offer your thoughts on what HMG ought to do.

Did you not read the CSS quote that Bahnhoff was commenting on?

 

[Tacita]

BBC R4 midnight news, just said that China has said they will execute him on the 29th Dec.

The Foreign office is asking for clemency.

that man's family must be in bits

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Please offer your thoughts on what HMG ought to do.

Pick up the phone and plead for the man's life, would be a start.

 

[Fullyplumped]

GB - please don't shoot the mad drug trafficker. Please. I beg of you.

Chinese govt. - No, we must, sets an example, consistent application of the rule of law. Why should we let him off just because he's British? You wouldn't call us if he was Chinese.

GB - Oh all right, we'll support your position over Copenhagen. No inspections. Anything else we can add to the package?

Chinese govt. - Gosh, that was easy.

GB - well. it gets Clive Stafford Smith off my back, and the people who comment on U75 will like me for his. Do you know, one of them actually called me spineless for not phoning you!

Chinese govt. - imagine that. By the way, there's a couple of your chaps we've arrested in Dalian. Drugs again. They're likely to be shot just before the next trade talks. Thought you'd like a heads up. You do take this sort of stuff seriously, don't you!

 

[Fullyplumped]

Did you not read the CSS quote that Bahnhoff was commenting on?

I did, and I heard him on the radio yesterday shamelessly berating the British government over its harsh attitude towards the Chinese government in connection with Copenhagen. Are any Brits in trouble abroad ever actually guilty of crime? Apparently not.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

GB: hey Hu, sorry about getting all unnecessary in Denmark last week, I get a bit over excited when placed on a world stage. Our ambassador has a case of Scotch for you BTW.

Now, about this nonsense of your country executing a mentally ill Londoner, leave it out will ya?

Ta.



But he won't pick up the phone, he'll dither and do nothing for the next week and the man will die whilst mealy mouthed platitudes along the line of can't interfere with another country's judiciary are muttered.