THE man accused of murdering Darwen woman Charlotte Flanagan was suffering from mental disorders which could have led to him 'flipping' , a psychiatrist has claimed.

Gareth Richard Horton, 29, of Walmsley Street, Darwen, has denied murdering Charlotte after a New Year's Eve Vicars and Tarts party at the Barley Mow pub, in London's West End.

Charlotte, 22, had gone to work there during a year out before beginning a nursing course.

The jury at the Old Bailey has been told the major issue in the case was whether he was acting with diminished responsibility.

Dr Paul Cantrell gave evidence in support of the defence's claim that Horton was suffering abnormalities of the mind which would lead to his mental responsibility being suspended.

He told the court that, in his opinion, Horton had suffered from both a constant chronic depression of mood which results in low self esteem and was probably caused by years of bullying at school, and spells of moderate clinical depression.

But Simon Dennison, prosecuting, said the evidence Mr Cantrell was putting forward simply did not add up.

He said symptoms of the illnesses included loss of interest in the things he enjoyed and everything being too much effort.

But, he said, Horton had travelled to London, booked into a hotel, visited Charlotte every day, gone out for meals, taken the Barley Mow landlord's son to the cinema and gone to a Vicars' and Tarts Party at the pub on New Year's Eve.

"Not the actions of someone who for whom everything is too much trouble and for whom fatigue, a symptom of depression is a problem," commented Mr Dennison.

At the time of the killing, on December 31, Mr Cantrell believes Horton was also suffering from 'an episode of moderate depression' which also causes low self-esteem, loss of confidence and ideas about death and suicide.

When the two states of mind combine, Mr Cantrall said, 'changes in judgment can occur, with ill judged actions being the result, the sort of things that he would never do normally, such as self-harm.' Mr Cantrell told the court that Horton had gone to see Charlotte, who he had lodged with in Darwen from May to September last year when she moved to London.

It had, Mr Cantrell said, been Horton's intention to treat this visit as a farewell because he had planned to commit suicide.

While in London, Horton learnt that Charlotte had got herself a boyfriend. On New Year's Eve, Charlotte and Horton had a row, apparently about the new boyfriend. Mr Cantrell said it was his opinion that this argument triggered off a series of events which led to Charlotte's death.

Charlotte and Horton became friends while working for Blackburn with Darwen Council's social services department.

The former St Wilfrid's High and St Cuthbert's Primary pupil had planned to become a nurse. As well as working at the council, she had also been a mentor for vulnerable children at the Trinity Partnership in Clitheroe.

(Proceeding)