An Indian-American physician who drove his Tesla off a cliff within the US along with his spouse and two youngsters inside – in an alleged try to homicide them – won’t be serving any jail time for now and can obtain psychological well being therapy.

Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist in California, drove his automobile, carrying his spouse Neha and two youngsters aged 7 and 4, off a cliff final 12 months after affected by a psychotic breakdown, psychologists informed the court docket. Mr Patel believed his youngsters have been liable to being intercourse trafficked which led him to crash the automobile, they mentioned.

After driving off the cliff, the Tesla fell over 250 ft. Nevertheless, the household miraculously survived the crash and was rescued from the mangled automobile. After being rescued, his spouse admitted that he drove the automobile off the cliff deliberately however testified later that she didn’t need her husband prosecuted.

In line with docs, Mr Patel was affected by schizoaffective dysfunction and main depressive dysfunction weeks earlier than the crash. “He had been listening to footsteps and thought he was being adopted within the weeks earlier than the crash. It was paranoid and type of delusional considering that he acted on on the time to guard his household from a worse destiny,” a psychologist informed the court docket, including that “He was involved that his youngsters have been liable to being kidnapped, probably for sexual molestation.”

On Thursday, a US court docket determined that Mr Patel was eligible for a ‘psychological well being diversion’, that enables an accused with psychological sickness who has dedicated a criminal offense to get psychological well being therapy as a substitute of serving jail time. The regulation states that such a provision can solely be thought-about if the sickness performed an enormous position within the crime.

Superior Courtroom Choose Susan M. Jakubowski deemed Mr Patel eligible for this system based mostly on the docs’ prognosis and ordered he be launched to his mother and father in California. He will likely be monitored with GPS and report back to the court docket as soon as per week. He’s additionally not allowed to journey outdoors his nation and should give up his driving license and passport.

The following listening to within the case will likely be held on July 1.