How a psychologist abused mentally-ill boy and almost got away with it

It was the boy's behaviour that prompted his parents to take him to the psychiatry wing of the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, on January 25, 2019. It was strange even by the boy's own standards.

The boy was 16, in his 10th standard. He had exhibited manic depressive behaviour right from his sixth standard, when he was only 13. One moment he would shut himself from the world and in the next would behave in an irritatingly overfamiliar manner. He had laughing spells, used abusive language and robbed without remorse.

Counselling sessions with a popular clinical psychologist between December 2015 and February 2017 seemed to improve his condition.

But, two years later in his 10th standard, the boy developed a sudden distaste for school. He kept citing somatic problems, especially stomach ache, to somehow avoid going to school. (According to psychiatrists Onmanorama talked to, stomach ache is a common somatic symptom found in child victims of sexual abuse.)

The boy became irritable, sometimes uncontrollable. His parents feared a relapse into that dreaded manic depressive phase.

Wild transformation

Fear soon gave way to panic when the parents discovered wild new inclinations in their child. They noticed these tendencies two weeks before they took him to the Medical College.

He ventured out of the house, wandering aimlessly, even at nights. Warnings were met with irritation and contempt. He was also spending like he had access to some secret treasure. The money was spent mostly on hotel food and electronic gadgets.

The 10th standard boy had acquired an appetite for food that shocked his parents. He insisted on eating only rich hotel food. They had no idea from where the money came. On a couple of occasions he was found stealing from electronic shops; habits found during his manic depressive phase resurfaced in alarming ways. He is even said to have had some dollars in his possession.

Spilling the beans

It was in such a hyperactive state, in which the boy's life seemed to spin out of control, that he was brought to the Medical College on January 25, 2019. He was admitted in the Psychiatry Ward, Unit II, of the Medical College Hospital.

A day later, when his case history was being drawn up by a postgraduate student, the boy said something he had not told even his parents. He said the clinical psychologist he had seen three-four years ago had removed his pants and underwear and touched his private part. Not once but many times. The boy was 13 then.

He also spoke about the psychologist showing him porn videos on his mobile. He also told the doctor that he was afraid to tell this to his parents.

As is mandatory, this was reported to the nearest police station. The clinical psychologist, Gireesh K, was arrested from his house on January 30, 2019. He was a psychology M.Phil holder working as an assistant professor in the Health Department.

The abuse took place in the cellar of Gireesh's house at Manacaud in Thiruvananthauram where he runs a counselling centre, ‘Depraxis Practice to Perform’, for people with mental disorders and victims of sexual abuse.

Parental disbelief

The parents found this unbelievable. They were with the boy during all the sessions with Gireesh.

He was in sixth standard when he was first taken to Gireesh. He was a normal kid till he was frightened by a black cat in his sixth standard. The sight of the black cat had pushed him into a state of depression. This soon swung to the other extreme of destructive hyperactivity. His father also had a history of bipolar disorder.

It was usual for Gireesh to first talk to the boy's parents. But when the counselling session began, it would be a closed-door one as is the case with any counselling sessions. The boy's condition improved, initially.

There was nothing to stoke suspicion either. The mother had told the Fast Track Special Court (POCSO), Thiruvananthapuram, that whenever her boy was tense a phone conversation with Gireesh would calm him. The boy even used to make his mother prepare 'biriyani' for Gireesh.

Good touch, bad touch

At one point during the cross examination in court, the boy spoke with warmth about the affectionate hugs that Gireesh used to give him.

This remark, rather than add weight to Gireesh's contentions, revealed the emotional intelligence of the boy. "This throws light on the fact that PW2 (prosecution witness 2/the victim) could differentiate between a sexual touch and an affectionate touch," Special Judge Aaj Sudarshan observed.

After the encouraging signs of normality following sessions with Gireesh, the boy's condition worsened. By the time the boy was in 10th, Gireesh's counselling skills were not enough to calm the boy's neurosis. It was Gireesh himself who recommended that he be taken to a psychiatrist.

That the worsening of condition was an unmistakable symptom of sexual abuse would be revealed later in court.

Victim as villain

In court, Gireesh used the boy's mental disorder as his strongest defence. His defence argued that the boy had conduct disorder, a state of mind characterised by compulsive lying among other anti-social tendencies. In other words, because the boy is possessed by a disorder of the mind, the court was told to cast out the boy's allegations.

Gireesh's team had produced as expert witness Dr Uday K Sinha, additional professor and head of Clinical Psychology Department, Institute of Human Behaviours and Allied Science, Delhi. He testified that children with conduct disorder had no concern for the feelings of others and are liars.

At this point, special public prosecutor Vijay Mohan R S, who argued for the boy, asked Dr Uday whether it could be said with certainty that all utterances of such children were lies. The doctor, knocking the bottom out of the defence argument, said no.

Dr Uday then explained the steps that had to be taken to verify the 'conduct disorder'-afflicted child's claim that he had been sexually abused. It was revealed that these steps -- elaborate talks with the boy without any leading questions and further re-examination to check for consistency -- were carried out by the doctors at the Medical College.

Defence witness, prosecution's asset

"Though Dr Uday was a defence witness, his upright manner helped our case. He was a nice principled man," special public prosecutor Vijay Mohan said. The prosecutor was praised by the court for the manner in which he argued the boy's case.

Dr Uday also said something that turned out to be the most revealing statement about what happened to the boy. He said that the mental stability of a sexual abuse victim, if left untreated, would invariably worsen over time. This is precisely what happened to the boy.

In thrall of the abuser

If the boy had initially looked upon his abuser as a kind of saviour, there could have been a psychological reason.

"At the time of the abuse, the boy might not have even thought of this as abuse. He was only 13 or 14 at that time. He would have been dominated by a feeling of gratefulness than revulsion. The boy would have been thankful that someone like Gireesh understood what he was going through. Gireesh, besides being a charming counsellor, was also a popular television personality at that time. This perhaps might explain the boy's emotional dependence on his counsellor," a top psychiatrist who preferred to remain anonymous told Onmanorama.

Overcoming 'Survivor's Guilt'

It could also be the case that the boy might have blamed himself for what the counsellor did to him. Dr Jishnu, a young psychiatrist based in Wayanad, called this "survivor's guilt". "Victims of sexual abuse have a tendency to blame themselves. They always question themselves. 'Was I wrong,' they keep asking. It is only when they outgrow this survivor's guilt will they be open about the wrongs done to them," Dr Jishu said.

In the case of this boy, it happened when he was counselled by the PG student at the Medical College. Also, at 16, the boy might have had a better idea of what constituted sexual abuse.

Serial offender

Gireesh was found guilty on four counts of "aggravated sexual assault" under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. One, he is a public servant. Two, he took advantage of the child's mental disability to commit the crime. Three, he committed the assault on the child more than once. Four, he has been convicted for a previous sexual offence. On February 22, 2022, this very Fast Track POCSO Court had sentenced him to a rigorous imprisonment of six years for abusing a 13-year-old boy with learning difficulties in similar fashion; removal of dress, touching of private parts and exposing the victim to porn. In this case, Gireesh had pleaded guilty.

In three of these counts, Gireesh was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment. In one, he was sentenced to five. Together, it would add up to 26 years. However, the court said that these sentences would run concurrently. Meaning, he needs to serve a maximum of seven years in prison.