Dr Richard Taylor on life as a forensic psychiatrist: 'You need a strong stomach — and stamina'
16 Jan, 2021 08:00 PM
10 minutes to read
Forensic psychologist Dr Richard Taylor. Photo / The Sunday Times/News
The Times
By: Audrey Ward
Richard Taylor tells Audrey Ward what it was like to work with some of Britain's most notorious criminals, from 'Camden Ripper' Anthony Hardy to hate preacher Abu Hamza.
Dr Richard Taylor, a consultant forensic psychiatrist,
was walking his daughter to school one morning in 2002 when he bumped into a former patient. The man, Eugene, a talented musician in his 40s, waved cheerily.
Taylor had treated Eugene many years earlier after he beat his father to death during a psychotic episode. He had set fire to the body before sticking a meat thermometer into his stomach. When assessing him in prison afterwards, Taylor had asked why he had done that. "To see if he was done, I suppose," was Eugene's reply.