About
Dr Michael Shortt is a skilled and experienced consultant forensic psychiatrist who leads both inpatient and community mental health services. Dr Shortt is employed by Hertfordshire Partnerships University NHS Foundation Trust. He works across London and the South East of England providing expert advice for criminal, civil and family courts. Dr Shortt also has
extensive experience working with immigration tribunals.
Expert and Professional Evidence
Dr Shortt has provided expert experience in criminal courts over several years in relation to the following matters:
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Fitness to plead
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Diminished responsibility
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Capacity to form intent
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Sentence in under provision of section 37/41 of the Mental Health Act
Dr Shortt also provides expert evidence in family and civil courts. He is well acquainted with the provision of evidence to the Health Education and Social Care Chamber First-tier Tribunal So Mental Health.
Specialist Assessments
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ACR20 assessment of risk of violence in those persons experiencing mental health issues.
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RSVP assessment of risk of sexual violence in those persons experiencing mental health issues
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PCL-R assessment of psychopathy
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IES-R assessment of subjective distress caused by traumatic events
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ITQ nation of symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or complex PTSD
Provision of Expert Reports
Dr Shortt has extensive experience in the provision of psychiatric reports. He is regularly instructed to provide a medical legal opinion on the following cases:
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Diminished Responsibility, Capacity to form Intent, Insanity, and Automatism
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Fitness to Plead and Stand Trial
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Personal Injury claims including quantum, psychiatric harm, and causation
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Family court matters including parental risks to and impact of parental mental health on children as set out within the Annex to Practice Direction 25B (Standards for expert witnesses in children proceedings in the family court)
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Immigration matters including assessments of being a potential victim of modern slavery, risk of reoffending and/or the impact of mental health conditions in the event of forced removal to country of origin or third country.