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A stockbroker referred to in court papers as PR is said to have gone on a downward spiral after his girlfriend was found dead in a swimming pool at a resort in Mauritius.

On 28 December 2014, while on holiday, his girlfriend drowned in the swimming pool and PR was unable to resuscitate her when he found her floating.

A few days later, in January 2015, he was arrested and questioned by the Mauritian police, charged with his girlfriend’s murder and detained, pending trial.

This is when PR appeared to have suffered a breakdown and was admitted to the secure ward of a local hospital where he stayed for four days.

After being assessed by a Mauritian state psychiatrist, PR was found to be psychologically distressed with evidence of depressive illness.

By March 2015, the stockbroker lost 20 kilograms, and by December 2015, he had lost 30kgs. At this dwindling point, his legal representative asked the doctor if he could stand trial but PR “was agitated, tearful and at times incoherent. His memories were confused. He could not sustain a logical narrative account of his experiences.”

It later emerged that PR was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, and possibly bipolar mood disorder, although the doctor could not confirm that.

PR was eventually acquitted of his girlfriend’s murder but was left “totally and permanently unable” to work as a stockbroker after suffering this devastating string of “deeply traumatic events”, noted the court documents via News24.

The doctor, who treated him for three years, said there was no significant likelihood of his condition improving in the foreseeable future.

PR claimed he could not carry out his work duties between 28 December 2014 and 30 November 2015 and put in a claim with Discovery Life.

But Discovery repudiated his claim, claiming his insurance cover expired on 30 November 2015.

This matter was taken to the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg where Judge Stuart Wilson found in favour of the man, saying:

“On a balance of probabilities, I find that PR was incapacitated on 30 November 2015; that he has remained incapacitated since then; and that the care and treatment that might have rehabilitated him has been exhausted.

The judge noted that PR was a very successful stockbroker before the onset of his condition and the insurance policy he took out was evidence of his success. His monthly premium due on the policy was in the region of R20 000:

His treating psychiatrist and occupational therapist had given unchallenged evidence that his work as a stockbroker required a resilient personality and fine judgement.

The man’s job involved the investment of his clients’ funds and the skilful purchase and sale of financial assets in a manner that would maximise the return on those funds.

The man’s therapist said his job was high-pressure and high stakes – and, like all jobs that involve a degree of deal-making, it required an agile set of social skills.

“It follows from this that PR was ‘totally and permanently unable’ to perform as a stockbroker on or before 30 November 2015, but not earlier than 28 December 2014,” the judge ruled.

Discovery was found liable under the policy and forced to pay PR the whopping amount of R25 million.

[source:news24]