Michael Gerard Sullivan, a lawyer in Sydney, Australia, was dining one night in 2008 at an art gallery restaurant when, according to the security cameras that recorded him, he excused himself between courses and stole two paintings worth $14,500. He says he doesn’t remember committing the crime.
The lawyer pleaded guilty and according to his lawyer, acted in a state of “dissociative amnesia” and was not responsible for his actions.
The Crown prosecutor told the sentencing hearing there was another “commonsense” explanation: he knew exactly what had happened, had lied to the police and was not being truthful in court.
Psychiatrists involved in the case said Michael, who faced up to seven years in jail, was playing the character of an art thief.
The charges were dismissed but the lawyer has now been placed on a two-year good behavior bond.
According to Thailand criminal defense lawyers, dissociative amnesia is not a common defense to cases in Thailand. Although Thailand has excellent medical treatment facilities, most physicians work in other areas and psychiatry is not a large field of medical practice. Therefore, using such as defense in a Thai court may be more difficult than in Australia.
