3/6/23, 9:54 AM FGX v Gaunt [2023] EWHC 419 (KB) (27 February 2023) committed Christian and her relationship with the Defendant was based, at her request, on sexual abstinence until marriage. The shock of what the Defendant had done was all the greater to her because the Defendant was aware of the significance of her beliefs in this respect. Her nightmares come and go now but never leave her and she would like the assistance of more therapy to help her. She still finds it hard to trust people; has given up going to a bible study group as a result and prefers to be on her own. She prefers not to enter into romantic relationships, trusting only herself. She shops online so she does not have to get changed in changing rooms. She finds staying in hotels for work (which she tries to avoid) difficult because she becomes paranoid and starts searching for cameras. She changed her job to home working to avoid having to go into an office. 24. I found her to be a measured witness who was prepared to acknowledge where her symptoms had improved over time, as with her headaches. The Expert Evidence Psychiatric 25. Dr Pavan Chahl, a Consultant Psychiatrist, assessed the Claimant in February 2021, four years after the events in question. 26. He diagnosed the Claimant as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), caused by the Claimant's knowledge that the images of her in a state of undress are on the internet for public viewing. He described the Claimant as remaining pre-occupied with the trauma of the images being uploaded without her consent and available to the public. As a result, the Claimant seeks to avoid circumstances resembling or associated with the conduct in question, including avoiding trying on clothes in shops and staying in hotels, which leads to her becoming paranoid about being videoed. She has problems with sleep, anger, difficulty concentrating, hyper vigilance and an exaggerated startle response. He explained that depression and anxiety are common with the condition. 27. He identified the Claimant as one of a minority of cases in which PTSD becomes chronic over several years causing "an enduring personality change." This was largely due to her fear of the Defendant and a preoccupation with the knowledge that the intimate images remain on the internet, out of her control and still accessible to the public. 28. Separately he diagnosed a relapse of an existing mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, 'greater than 50%' of which he attributed to the events in question. 29. He identified several vulnerability factors in the Claimant, including instances of physical and emotional abuse in other relationships, her family history of psychiatric conditions, and her previous experience of mixed anxiety and depressive disorder. He did not however consider that these factors contributed significantly to the symptoms that she presented which he considered to be "specific, severe and directly linked" to the events under scrutiny. 30. He considered relapses of both conditions to be "very likely". 31. In his opinion, the Claimant had already received appropriate treatment by the time of his assessment of her and she did not require further treatment at that time. He estimated the likely cost of treatment in the event of future relapses (which he identified as likely) as follows: 4-6 monthly follow up by a consultant psychiatrist for the next 2-5 years at cost of up to £2000 in the private sector a further course and up to two further courses of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at a cost of up to £2000. https://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/KB/2023/419.html&query=(defamation) 6/13