A PSYCHIATRIST has detailed the life story and series of events that led up to a Grays woman killing her mother.

At Basildon Crown Court where 60-year-old Cheryl Banks is on trial for murder, consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Alan Reid gave details of interviews he had had with Mrs Banks and he pieced together the circumstances that led to her smothering her mother to death at their shared home on Lenmore Avenue in Grays in June last year before attempting to kill herself.

In a dramatic moment during his evidence, he told the jury Mrs Banks had been asked if she had really wanted to die and she had said she 'wanted to be with her mother'. Asked if she regretted she was still alive she told Dr Reid: "I regret I didn't die but there was a reason. I am here now to be punished."

Dr Reid was speaking after the prosecution closed its case against Mrs Banks, who has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility – but who the Crown believes carried out the killing as a planned event.

Earlier the jury had watched a video of Mrs Banks arriving at Grays police station after being treated at Basildon Hospital following her suicide attempt in which she swallowed around 60 painkilling tablets and drank whisky.

She seemed in almost jocular mood as she was booked in to the custody suit – a symptom Dr Reid later ascribed as an indicator to the state of her mental health.

Det Sgt Scott Jenkins told the court Mrs Banks had said little about what happened on Monday, 21 when she killed 89-year-old Winifred Grover.

Mrs Banks had told police officers and a doctor at the hospital: "I took an overdose of painkillers, I had previously taken an overdose in October 2020. I do not feel well enough to comment. My mum and I loved each other very, very much. I was her carer. I have experienced for some time problems with my mental health which I have not sought help for."

When questioned by the custody officer at Grays police station occasionally laughed as she explained her medical conditions and medical history. She seemed particularly amused when she was asked if she was pregnant or had the possibility of being pregnant. "No definitely not", she responded laughing.

Defending Mrs Banks, barrister Tana Adkin – who specialises in cases involving those accused of serious criminal offences where forensic cross-examination of doctors is required – opened the case for defence by asking Dr Reid, of the North London Forensic Service, to tell the jury his opinion of Mrs Banks' state of mental health at the time of the killing and to give an account of his conversations with her as he probed what had brought her to cause her mother's death.

Dr Reid said he had completed his report based on spending some time with Mrs Banks and also reading her personal diary.

He told the court: "She had been made redundant but because of the pandemic was unable to look for work. She did not claim benefits saying it was something she had never done in her life.

"The most striking thing she mentioned in her background was death of her father in 1971 when she was aged nine. It was unusual in that it was something that was never discussed a great deal between Mrs Banks and her mother.

"She knew he was unwell and one day he wasn't there. It was never discussed.

"Her relationship with her mother was a good one when she was younger and they continued to be close in her adult life. She and her mother had always lived in close proximity to each other.

"She referred to the death of one of her older brothers (Martin) in 2012 who died of complications arising from alcoholism. Her brother's daughter named Jennifer had a view that Cheryl's mother was in some way responsible for her father's death, giving him money to buy alcohol sometimes.

"It is significant because around that time in 2012 Jennifer started to send threatening messages to Cheryl's mother.

"Cheryl confirmed she had a particularly close relationship with her brothers, and she was close to her mother.

"The interesting thing is that she, in my view, had pushed her father's death out of her mind.

"Cheryl originally lived at Poet's Corner in Tilbury. At the age of 40 she developed rheumatoid arthritis, that was treated. Eight years ago that diagnosis was changed to cirrhosis arthritis. She seemed to have coped well and she was stoical in coping with that. She had never had a diagnosis of mental health issues.

"She told me: 'I might have had the odd down day, but nothing out of the ordinary'. Until the events of 2020 she had no previous history of consultations with mental health services, nor overdosed or caused herself harm or had suicidal thoughts.

"She described herself as someone who didn't like taking pills, saying 'if you start taking pills for one thing you will start to take pills to counteract the first pills you are taking'.

"She told me that her mother had lived independently until 2017 then Cheryl started to notice her mother might be starting to show symptoms of dementia, appeared increasingly forgetful and stopped buy things for herself. She wasn't spending money in her bank account.

"Cheryl recalled being concerned about this because she hasd read that if savings went over a certain figure they should be declared because it might affect benefits. At that time she had a conversation with her mum to start buying things but she didn't buy enough

"They then discussed that her mother should put some of her money in a separate account in Cheryl's name to pay funeral costs at some time. That was sparked by having to pay for the costs of her brother's funeral.

"Money was transferred into Cheryl's ISA account. She had intended to move the money into a separate account too but she didn't do that and started to worry and feel very anxious that she had done the wrong thing and would be accused of fraud

"She also worried that mum was in receipt of a pension from her husband. As she looked more into her mother's finances she became anxious and overwhelmed. She also feared there would be 'adverse consequences' for her mother for not managing her finances.

"In July 2019 Cheryl became victim of an identity fraud, informed by her bank somebody had opened a credit card in her name with an £8,000 limit. She knew nothing about that.

"She went through a process to unravel what had happened and sort out her credit and ensure that didn't happen again.

"In July she received a threatening letter in the post threatening her mother. She believed it was from Jennifer. She told me a letter was addressed to her mother and Sellotaped to the back of it was a razor blade smeared with blood.

"She reported it to police. There was evidence that Jennifer had sent the letter but to proceed Cheryl would have to go to Yorkshire, where Jennifer lived at the time, to appear in court. She didn't want to do that."

These things were difficult and stressful for her said Dr Reid. She was overwhelmed with the ID fraud and Jennifer and pushed those thoughts under the carpet.

Dr Reid told the court Mrs Banks had said: "I thought if my mum dies, I will come clean and sort it all out."

He continued that the onset of the covid pandemic meant Cheryl and her mother became more isolated and even when restrictions started to ease at the end of the first lockdown they still didn't go out much because they didn't believe government advice. At the same time she also received a letter from her GP advising her she was a vulnerable person and to remain in lockdown conditions.

He said that added to her anxiety and then detailed another incident, saying: "She made some toast for her mother, went into other room and heard her mother choking on the toast.

"She panicked nd ran in to get help, called 999 and got instructions to start CPR. Her mother then started to make breathing noises. At that point the ambulance arrived. The ambulance crew deemed it best she be taken to hospital.

"Cheryl said it was a very stressful time and very frustrating that she wasn't allowed to visit her mother because of covid. There were difficulties of communication, she felt that information she gave to the hospital about her mother was ignored. Her mother's physical condition appeared to be deteriorating. She was worried her mother was going seriously downhill.

"She became overwhelmed with anxiety and stress about how she would cope when her mother was discharged from hospital. She took an overdose of Co-codamol tablets at night in her house. In the early hours. For some reason her husband came down, checked in her found she had taken the overdose. She was taken to hospital where she was reviewed in A&E and then given information about how to call 111 if she was in a mental health crisis."

Dr Reid said he had asked Mrs Bank if she received any follow up from her GP and was told no, and that there had not been any referral to mental health services.

When her mother came out of hospital, adjustments were made in the home, with Mrs Grover moving permanently into a makeshift bedroom downstairs, initially with carers coming in four times a day.

Dr Reid continued: "Cheryl told me her mother didn't like them and the visits were not timed to suit her mother so they were stopped after six weeks. After that she became the sole carer for her mother. That was September 2020.

"I asked her if she had discussed her concerns with her husband and son but she said they worked all day and she did not want to worry them.

"She said October 2020 was the lowest point of her life and that she had lost control of the care that mum needed. She felt she was the only person that could give her mother the care she needed.

"As a carer for someone with Alziemers she was entitled to make a claim for a carer's allowance. She started to worry that she might be accused of committed a fraud, she worried that if she did apply it would be seen as a fraud in some way. She received a letter for DWP asking for power of attorney, she says she had sent one previously but then began to worry that not sending it meant she would be convicted of fraud. The letter was very confusing and gobbledygook and the way she dealt with it was to put the letter into a folder and 'deal with it later'.

"Her mother then had a fall while trying to weigh her. She took her for an x-ray."

Dr Reid said the pressures on Mrs Banks were mounting up, adding: "She was more and more worried about the paperwork and declarations she had made in relation to her mum's finances.

"She felt she had done something wrong and was going to go to prison for doing wrong. She then felt she had done something else wrong in connection with the government's national census in March.

"She could have filled it out on paper or online, she had a deep avoidance of doing anything online because of the fraud. She completed the paper form and then sent it back and then began to repeatedly think about the answers she had given that might be seen as fraudulent

"When I asked her what that was, she said she had a certain number of bedrooms, three. 'My mother is in the downstairs front room. Does that mean I should have said four bedrooms?' She felt that would be seen as fraud and would end with her going to prison.

"She was also worried about a question about working at her shop, she couldn't quite remember if she had given the right dates and worried that that might be seen as wrong.

"In July Cheryl told me: 'Looking back on it now, I was overanalysing and overthinking everything. Thinking I might go to prison'.

"She then got a letter saying her niece wanted to get in touch. And then a notice from Clearstore that an account she had had been reactivated and she worried that her fraud concerns would be repeated.

She told me she didn't have clear thoughts of killing herself but thought it would be better for her family if she wasn't there.

"She said she had messed up but she also tried to push those thoughts from her mind.

"She told me the Sunday before the offence was a normal day but said: 'It must have been on my mind to do it because about a month before I tried to smother my mum with a pillow and to kill myself. I got onto the bed and held a pillow. My mum looked at me and said 'Cheryl No'. It brought myself round. I bashed my head on the wall. I thought to kill myself but to kill my mother because there wouldn't be anyone to look after her. At the weekend I remember thinking what future is there for my mum and me? Who would ever want to employ me? I thought I would go to prison, I thought if mum and me were not here we would be together'."

Dr Reid said: "She did not discuss any of this with anyone" and added: "proportionately her thoughts and fears were "completely out of keeping with the reality of the situation."

He recalled the evidence of Mrs Banks' friend Tracey Jones who in an earlier statement to the court had said she spoke to Mrs Banks on 16 or 17th of June and said: "She made no mention of the issues. Cheryl is a private and intimate person, she wouldn't confide in anyone."

Dr Reid then spoke about the suicide notes that Mrs Banks had left after killing her mother and taking pills.

He said: "She was apologising for the 'shame she had brought on her family'. She said 'I listened to the voice in my head, rather than my heart. And I have made so many wrong decisions which you will find out about. One lie and then another'.

"Cheryl wrote about her concerns about her niece Jennifer, saying: 'Have been identity frauded again, I can't do through all that again. I'm so sorry.

"She gave information someone would give when they wanted someone else to deal with their affairs when they were no longer there.

"I think it highlights the preoccupation she had been having on and off over that period from 2019. It seems she felt something very wrong that her family were going to find out. It all sounds quite catastrophic and nihilistic, a very negative view that everything will go wrong."

Dr Reid then detailed a conversation he had with Mrs Banks last July, a month after the killing. "She told me she couldn't remember exactly when she killed her mother, but she knew it had to be just after her husband left so he wouldn't come back and find her.

"After he left she took a small shot of whiskyand took some Co-codamol pill. She told me 'I can remember every detail of doing it, I put my hand on her mouth and pinched her nose. I kept saying I was sorry. I then took more pills and drank whisky and then laid down on the sofa'.

"She remembered thinking: 'Now look where you are now, because you didn't get it sorted'."

Dr Reid then recalled a statement given by Sophie Vaughan, a police liaison worker and forensic nurse who spoke with Mrs Banks at Grays police station and said: "Cheryl didn't really mention about or regarding the fraud so it wasn't picked up on or explored in any way. She hadn't sought any mental health because of ongoing family situations.

"She hadn't had suicidal thoughts following October until that Monday.

"Looking at the video, she seemed incredibly composed, which I found quite disconcerting for someone in custody after killing her mother.

"The impression I got was that there was something unusual and odd about her general demeanour in that she appears very chatty and jokey but it feels superficial. She appeared very bubbly and cheerful in a situation when she had just killed her mother, which n my experience is not unheard of but is very unusual."

Dr Reid continued his assessment of Mrs Banks, saying: "She is someone who doesn't like to make a fuss, she feels her needs are less important than those of other people. She pushed her concerns to one side.

"She showed no evidence of depression other than poor sleep. Is lack of sleep or disturbed sleep significant when assessing someone's mental health? It is very important because it is a symptom that is present in many situations. It can be a risk factor for precipitating vulnerabilities.

"She was convinced she would be sent to prison and there would be no one around to look after her mother. It repeatedly intruded into her mind.

"She has denied experiencing hallucinations, but the recurrent thought that came into her mind was 'now look where you are because you didn't sort it'.

"She really wanted to die to be with her mother. Asked if she regretted she was still alive she told me 'I regret I didn't die, but there was a reason. I am here now to be punished.

She always said that her own feelings were that she did not feel justified being a burden to anyone else.

"In summary I felt her family history was largely unremarkable. I was very struck about how she encountered her father's death when she was very young. It was so matter of fact. I wonder if that way of not dealing with emotions may affect how she would look at death?

"In adulthood there wasn't anything of particular note until the overdoses in October 2020 and it appeared to me that at the time a number of factors in the proceeding months had caused her to become increasingly stressed.

"Many of these were real and would make anybody feel stressed and they would find it difficult to cope but there were also other aspects more indicative to someone being depressed and having symptoms of guilt and having done wrong when the reality was that it wasn't the case.

"It appeared to me she ruminated on this a great deal, but because of the way her personality is she doesn't seek help from other people of discuss those issues with other people."

Dr Reid acknowledged here were other aspects of her character and nature that did not indicate that she was depressed but said that her early experience of death when it was not discussed may have influenced her adult life and led to her stoical personality.

He continued: "I have to accept this is hypothetical, but I think the reason for this is given in what seems to be evidence of her own descriptions about how she coped with life. That her own difficulties in life were not worth bothering other people, which means there is a discrepancy between her feelings at one time and looking outwardly being quite cheerful."

Dr Reid's opinion was Mrs Banks suffered depressive episodes that at times were severe. He believed her condition was a recognised mental health disorder.

He said she did know she was killing her mother and that she knew it was wrong but she had thought her future was 'catastrophic' and no one would be able to look after her mother and that the solution was to take her mother's life and then her own.

Dr Reid added: "I think she was suffering from an abnormality in mental functioning as part of a recognised mental health condition. In my view this impaired her ability to make a rational judgement about what she should do. This provides a clear explanation of what happened. I cannot postulate any other explanation of her conduct."

The prosecution has said that in the opinion of their expert, Mrs Banks was not suffering from a recognised severe illness. Dr Reid countered that view, saying: "Your expert does not believe she suffers from a depressive illness at all because when you look at aspects of her presentation there are things that are not present in her in her case. We have different views on this.

"In my view she is someone who is severely depressed but is able to put on a very good front, his opinion is that is not correct. We differ."

The case continues.