Whilst out celebrating her birthday, a party goer took a break from dancing and aggressively assaulted two men, biting one of them, as a direct consequence of suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Katie Bateman was celebrating her birthday in August last year, when the assaults happened. The court heard that her aggression was a result of her psychological disorder, evidenced by a letter from the defendant’s doctor and a psychological report.
Bateman reportedly suffers PTSD as a result of her childhood and she can suffer strong anxiety when she perceives a potential threat from a man.
The judge ruled that Ms Bateman would not face an immediate jail sentence, stating that “it seems to me a case where she needs to be treated in the community to ensure there is no further offending.”
Miss Beth Heaton, defending Ms Bateman, stated “[Bateman] reacted in a hyper vigilant way to what she perceived as threats from males.” The incident was caught on CCTV and Bateman suffered a panic attack when presented with this evidence.
Since then, Ms Bateman has been undergoing a new treatment programme which is reportedly proving successful.
