A psychologist who had evaluated murderer Donovan Moodley – who killed Johannesburg student Leigh Matthews in 2004 – and supported his release on parole, has been found guilty of professional misconduct by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and fined R10 000.
After a two-hour interview with Moodley, the psychologist had submitted a report saying she found him “remorseful and rehabilitated, and no longer posed a risk to society”, reports TimesLIVE.
Moodley kidnapped Bond University student Matthews (21) in July 2004, extorted R50 000 from her father Rob Matthews, and then shot her four times before leaving her body in the veld.
During the trial, he pleaded guilty and claimed to have acted alone, but later changed his story several times, taking his appeal, with a new version of the events, to the Constitutional Court, where the matter was dismissed.
In prison, Moodley completed an LLB and is litigious, having taken his two recent parole hearings on review after his release was not recommended. The High Court granted him another hearing before a new board.
Lawyer Tania Koen, who represents the Matthews family, said Moodley’s review application, made before the High Court, had become part of the record and was therefore a public document. This usually happened only with the consent of an offender.
Rob Matthews had objected to the psychologist’s report and findings, his complaint to the HPCSA saying it “falls short of the elements of best practice”. He claimed the report was inaccurate, that due care had not been taken in compiling it, and that the parole recommendation was wrong.
He said Moodley had changed his version of events at least seven times, but that this had been ignored in the report. In addition, his own confession had described how he had spent a considerable amount of time deciding to kill Leigh, because he worried about being identified if she survived.
The psychologist had accepted Moodley’s claims that he was close to his family, whom he said were supportive and visited him regularly in prison, especially his grandmother.
However, Matthews submitted prison visit records which showed Moodley’s grandmother had never visited him. His sister last visited him in 2010, and his mother in 2013. His father now visits him less frequently.
“The finding that Moodley’s family is supportive is wrong,” said Matthews.
Another disputed claim in the report was that, before the murder, Moodley had been a youth group leader. An affidavit by Moodley’s church pastor stated he joined the group as a volunteer only after the murder, and then participated in it until he was arrested. During that time, he transported group members in the car he used in the kidnapping and murder.
The report said Moodley had always acknowledged his guilt and was genuinely remorseful.
But Matthews’s complaint was supported by a responding report by clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Gerard Labuschagne, who said the methodology used by the psychologist did not meet best practice.
He had trained her in risk assessment and he could show that none of the principles taught had been used in her assessment for the Department of Correctional Services.
“The reports … are usually conclusive in determining the risk of recidivism. For this reason, their assessments … and reports … should be well-considered and compliant with industry standards,” Labuschagne said, adding that he could show where the psychologist had erred in profiling a violent offender.
TimesLIVE PressReader article – Psychologist for killer Moodley fined for misconduct (Open access)
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