Professor Nigel Eastman (1945–2022)

Nigel Eastman's early career was as an economist: trained at LSE and Cambridge, he was briefly a University Lecturer at Bristol, then Managing Director of a small engineering firm, before re-training as a Barrister-at-Law at Gray's Inn (1976) and qualifying in Medicine at Bristol (1979). He then trained in Psychiatry at Oxford and the Bethlem-Maudsley Joint hospitals. There can be no doubt that from this somewhat circuitous route, Nigel had found his true metier as a Forensic Psychiatrist, rising to become Professor of Law and Ethics in Psychiatry at St George‘s, University of London, and making a huge contribution in his chosen discipline.

Nigel joined St George‘s and Springfield University Hospital in 1986 at a time when there was only a small community service in existence. He established the Section of Forensic Psychiatry, and was responsible for driving the development of the first inpatient medium secure unit on the Springfield hospital site. He fostered what was to become a highly successful and well regarded clinical and academic forensic psychiatric service. He introduced a regular Grand Round in Medical Law and Ethics, and he made major contributions to a Diploma and Master‘s degree in Forensic Mental Health. He was Regional Advisor, and then Clinical Director, of a substantial specialist regional forensic psychiatric service. He also established the St George‘s Clinical Ethics Committee, negotiating its term of reference and becoming its founding Chair, a role he continued for over twenty years.

Within wider society, Nigel's contributions were also massive. He was on the Biomedical Ethics Funding Committee, the Medical Humanities Strategy Committee, and the Public Engagement Committee of the Wellcome Trust He contributed expert evidence to the Clunis Inquiry and the Buchanan Inquiry. He gave evidence to the Law Commission Reviews of Mental Incapacity, Psychiatric Injury, Partial Defences to Murder, the Law on Murder, Expert Evidence, and Unfitness to Plead. He also contributed to the All Party Parliamentary Mental Health Law Group proposals for legislation for people with dangerous and severe personality disorders. He gave advice on the Coroners and Criminal Justice Bill, 2009, and the Mental Health Act proposed reforms. He published 5 books, including the Oxford Specialist Handbook of Forensic Psychiatry , of which a second edition was due to be published at the time of his death, and the Oxford Casebook of Forensic Psychiatry , as well as writing numerous papers, articles, and providing Parliamentary Evidence.

Nigel was committed to teaching and improving standards of evidence and report writing amongst trainee forensic psychiatrists. He lectured extensively both to UK graduates and internationally, including an 8 week course in Bangladesh a few months before his death.

Nigel had a large medico-legal practice, and his opinion was greatly valued by numerous senior lawyers. He took a particular interest in the Death Penalty Project, for which he conducted many psychiatric assessments, and he co-wrote the Handbook of Forensic Psychiatric Practice in Capital Cases. He also founded Forensic Psychiatry Chambers as a setting for receiving requests for medico-legal reports and, importantly, as a forum for maintaining and updating knowledge of the law and psychiatry, and for clinical review. Nigel had served on the Executive Committee of the British Academy of Forensic Sciences since 2013, and he participated in two lively debates at Friends’ Dinners. Nigel retained his enthusiasm for his discipline until the end of his life, always keen to explore new ideas, curious to learn and to listen to other viewpoints, eager to maintain or raise standards of practice, to encourage and to teach.

Nigel was a devoted husband and father of three children. When not working, he loved travelling and was a keen member of his local choir.