Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest, The - Stieg Larsson [247]
She paused to catch her breath and forced herself to speak slowly.
“As it now stands, the case presented by the prosecutor rests on the testimony of Dr Teleborian. If he is right, then my client would be best served by receiving the expert psychiatric care that both he and the prosecutor are seeking.”
Pause.
“But if Dr Teleborian is wrong, this prosecution case must be seen in a different light. Furthermore, if he is lying, then my client is now, here in this courtroom, being subjected to a violation of her civil rights, a violation that has gone on for many years.”
She turned to face Ekström.
“What we shall do this afternoon is to show that your witness is a false witness, and that you as prosecutor have been deceived into accepting these false testimonies.”
Teleborian flashed a smile. He held out his hands and nodded to Giannini, as if applauding her presentation. Giannini now turned to the judge.
“Your honour. I will show that Dr Teleborian’s so-called forensic psychiatric investigation is nothing but a deception from start to finish. I will show that he is lying about Lisbeth Salander. I will show that my client has in the past been subjected to a gross violation of her rights. And I will show that she is just as sane and intelligent as anyone in this room.”
“Excuse me, but—” Ekström began.
“Just a moment.” She raised a finger. “I have for two days allowed you to talk uninterrupted. Now it’s my turn.”
She turned back to Judge Iversen.
“I would not make so serious an accusation before the court if I did not have ample evidence to support it.”
“By all means, continue,” the judge said. “But I don’t want to hear any long-winded conspiracy theories. Bear in mind that you can be charged with slander for statements that are made before a court.”
“Thank you. I will bear that in mind.”
She turned to Teleborian. He still seemed entertained by the situation.
“The defence has repeatedly asked to be allowed to examine Lisbeth Salander’s medical records from the time when she, in her early teens, was committed to your care at St Stefan’s. Why have we not been shown those records?”
“Because a district court decreed that they were classified. That decision was made out of solicitude for Lisbeth Salander, but if a higher court were to rescind that decision, I would naturally hand them over.”
“Thank you. For how many nights during the two years that Lisbeth Salander spent at St Stefan’s was she kept in restraints?”
“I couldn’t recall that offhand.”
“She herself claims that it was 380 out of the total of 786 days and nights she spent at St Stefan’s.”
“I can’t possibly answer as to the exact number of days, but that is a fantastic exaggeration. Where do those figures come from?”
“From her autobiography.”
“And you believe that today she is able to remember accurately each night she was kept in restraints? That’s preposterous.”
“Is it? How many nights do you recall?”
“Lisbeth Salander was an extremely aggressive and violence-prone patient, and undoubtedly she was placed in a stimulus-free room on a number of occasions. Perhaps I should explain the purpose of a stimulus-free room—”
“Thank you, that won’t be necessary. According to theory, it is a room in which a patient is denied any sensory input that might provoke agitation. For how many days and nights did thirteen-year-old Lisbeth Salander lie strapped down in such a room?”
“It would be … I would estimate perhaps on thirty occasions during the time she was at the hospital.”
“Thirty. Now that’s only a fraction of the 380 that she claims.”
“Undeniably.”
“Not even 10 per cent of her figure.”
“Yes …”
“Would her medical records perhaps give us more accurate information?”
“It’s possible.”
“Excellent,” Giannini said, taking out a large sheaf of paper from her briefcase. “Then