An inmate accused of murdering his neighbouring cellmate after an argument about poor hygiene and a loud TV likely had a psychotic disorder at the time of the attack, a psychologist has claimed.

Sasan Rabat, 26, is facing trial after Stefan Adi, 24, was beaten to death at HMP Maidstone on December 9, 2021.

Previously, the jury at Maidstone Crown Court heard how Rabat accepts he killed Mr Adi, but denies murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The pair had been witnessed by a fellow inmate, Lukasz Graman, on the Thanet wing reportedly arguing on the day before, and the day of, Mr Adi’s death.

Mr Graman, appearing via video link from Sweden, told the court he had heard Rabat call Mr Adi a “f****** stinky b******” and complain that his TV was played too loud at night.

He also described how shortly after an argument on December 9, 2021, a prison alarm went off and officers rushed to Rabat’s cell where Mr Adi’s bloody body was found hidden behind a locker and table.

On Thursday, Dr Vivek Bisht was called by Rabat’s defence team to give expert evidence.

The court heard how in the months after the killing, Dr. Bisht spoke with Rabat on several occasions and produced four reports about the interviews and the defendants mental state.

Part of the reports were read to the court, including the first two where Dr. Bisht described Rabat as “very guarded and evasive”, but had told him about suffering from PTSD – later revealed to be from when he was attacked by a group of men in the UK – and depression.

The court also heard how Rabat, who is from Iran, had spoken about Kurdish persecution, including witnessing his uncle's execution, suffering from flashbacks and hearing noises in his head, as well as seeing girls raped by army members.

By the time of the doctor’s third interview with Rabat, in July 2023, Rabat had been at the high-security, psychiatric hospital, Broadmoor.

It was there Dr. Bisht received reports from multiple doctors and consultants about Rabat’s behaviours – including making claims to staff someone had put a chip under his skin to “monitor him”. One consultant from Broadmoor noted the defendant "likely has a psychotic illness such as paranoid schizophrenia”.

Records showed that In February, 2023, Rabat was put on a depot injection of medication to help with the “voices” and “visual stimuli” he had reported seeing to staff weeks after he was “engaging appropriately" and was “brighter and more polite” during conversations.

Dr. Bisht detailed a conversation with Dr. Hafferty from Broadmoor who described Rabat was someone who “wasn’t malingering and had genuine psychotic symptoms that responded well to medication”.

Concluding his four reports, Dr Bisht said: “It appears Sasan Rabat had developed a paranoid psychotic illness, most likely schizophrenia. His diagnosis was likely undiagnosed at the time of the offence.”

He went on to say the violent offence was “out of character” for Rabat and it was likely “psychotic driven”.

When asked by defence counsel Jonathan Lennon KC how likely it was Rabat developed a psychotic illness after the killing, Dr. Bisht responded: “Highly unlikely.”

In cross-examination, prosecutor John Price KC claimed that despite reports from Broadmoor about Rabat’s symptoms of a psychotic disorder, the defendant had never presented these during his interviews with Dr. Bisht as there was no mention of them in his report.

Mr Price went on to highlight part of the doctor’s report said the offence “would not have occurred but for the psychotic symptoms,” so it would be correct for the jury to ignore the diminished responsibility argument if they concluded there was no psychotic disorder at the time of the attack.

The prosecutor questioned Dr. Bisht about whether or not any previous records of Rabat’s – including prison observations from nurses and GP reports - showed any signs of disordered thinking.

Mr Bisht initially replied: “I don't think so," before adding that no record didn't necessarily mean there was no condition, just that it may have been missed in a prison setting where behaviour isn’t observed 24/7.

Mr Price went on to argue that Rabat according to a report from one prison nurse before the killing, Rabat showed no sign of a psychotic disorder, had never been admitted for mental health and had openly spoken about it with her.

The trial continues.