Crown questions psychiatrist at Starbucks stabbing trial about possible exaggeration of mental health symptoms

The murder trial for the man accused of stabbing Paul Schmidt to death outside a downtown Vancouver Starbucks continued Tuesday.

As the second-degree murder trial of Inderdeep Singh Gosal enters its final days, the Crown continues to cross-examine a psychiatrist called as an expert witness by the defence.

Gosal is accused of stabbing Paul Schmidt to death outside a downtown Vancouver Starbucks in March of 2023.

Video played in court shows the two engaging in a verbal altercation before Schmidt approaches Gosal and the two begin to fight.

When the brief 25-second physical confrontation ended, Schmidt lay dead in a pool of blood on the Starbucks patio.

Dr. Johann Brink, a forensic psychiatrist, has testified that in his opinion Gosal suffers from a form of schizophrenia.

He came to the conclusion after reviewing medical records and the evidence in the case, and interviewing Gosal about his mental health and the events that led up to the confrontation with Schmidt.

On Tuesday, the Crown asked Brink if he was familiar with the medical term “malingering” – and Brink acknowledged that it is the false production of symptoms or a clear exaggeration of symptoms.

“Yes, for a specific purpose,” Brink said. “In a forensic context it is to mislead the interpreter or minimize the actions.”

The Crown suggested that according to a report from a psychiatrist who treated him for many years, Gosal could be “vague, atypical and inconsistent” about his mental health symptoms when it suited him.

Brink said that would be concerning and make it difficult to rely on Gosal’s self-reporting about his mental health.

“That would create additional new wrinkles in the narrative,” Brink said.

The court also heard about inconsistencies in Gosal’s statements about taking his medication.

He told Brink he had not taken his medication for about three months prior to the alleged crime – but told his sister in a phone call from jail that he had only been off his medication for about three days.

The court also heard that Gosal told police and Brink that he had consumed two beers prior to the altercation – but previous evidence presented in court suggests he may have had as many as seven beers at a Cactus Club before going to the Starbucks.

Brink returns to the stand Wednesday morning.

The Crown intends to call its own expert psychiatrist as a rebuttal witness before closing arguments.