Citation

Leonetti C. Psychiatry Psychol. Law. 2024; 31(4): 612-637.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13218719.2023.2206856

PMID

39118783

PMCID

PMC11305021

Abstract

Introduction of evidence relating to the now-discredited behavioural-science syndrome known as 'child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome' in R v Ellis demonstrates the danger of syndrome reasoning in judicial fact finding. Comparable syndrome evidence is still used in the Family Court in the form of 'parental alienation syndrome'. Ellis should sound the death knell for all forensic applications of unreliable syndrome reasoning in the courts.

Language: en

Keywords

child abuse; expert evidence; family court; syndromes