Pamela Nisbet was stabbed by her son, Andrew Charles Nisbet, who was sentenced to remain in a secure psychiatric hospital in August 2020 after admitting manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.
After hearing from doctors that the clinical radiologist had severe Autism Spectrum Disorder and Asperger syndrome, the Royal Court issued an indeterminate treatment order, to be reviewed every nine months, and a restraining order, preventing Nisbet from contacting or going anywhere near his family.
In 2021, an independent Domestic Homicide Review recommended that Jersey should introduce a register of known domestic abusers after finding that warning signs were missed, which could have revealed the threat posed to Mrs Nisbet.
At a pre-inquest review hearing this week, before Deputy Viscount Mark Harris, it was agreed that Nisbet, who has expressed a wish to participate in the inquest, should be allowed to listen in remotely, but – because of the restraining order – he can only make submissions in writing and the screen he appears on will only be seen by the coroner and counsel to the inquest.
The provisional scope of the inquest includes Nisbet’s contact with mental health services between March and August 2019, and the involvement of the Police with Nisbet in July and August 2019.
Health and Community Services, the States of Jersey Police and Mrs Nisbet’s husband each had legal representation at the pre-inquest hearing.
A two-week period in mid-February has been set aside for the inquest, but the exact dates are yet to be determined.
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