Pseudologia Fantastica: a case study of a man charged with murder

A case of Pseudologia Fantastica is presented in a man charged with murder. Psychological assessment revealed him to be highly compliant and suggestible, consistent with early research (Healy and Healy, 1915) which showed pathological liars to be suggestible to misleading information. A specific dyslexic disorder is also demonstrated, and the possible mechanisms behind the man's lying considered. Some implications regarding the reliability of the man's varying confessions to the police are discussed, and parallels are drawn between this case and that of Timothy Evans, who in 1950 was hanged for murder.