Special adjustments have been agreed to help the self-proclaimed inventor of bitcoin cope with cross-examination in the marathon London hearing over the identity of 'Satoshi Nakamoto', the High Court heard yesterday. Australian-born computer scientist Dr Craig Wright, who begins giving evidence in the Rolls Building today, is at risk of emotional dysregulation due to his autism spectrum disorder, Lord Grabiner KC said in his opening statement.

Wright’s cross-examination is scheduled for six days. 

Grabiner said that it was common ground that, during cross-examination, Wright should have access to the LiveNote screen and pen and paper to write down questions. 

'Negative inferences should not be drawn from aspects of Dr Wright's presentation,' he told Mr Justice Mellor, adding that: 'Follow-up questions during cross-examination could lead to emotional dysregulation if Dr Wright feels that his morals are being questioned or when he thinks the examiner is not trying to understand the point being made.’ 

Asked by the judge whether anyone would be observing for symptoms of emotional dysregulation, Grabiner said: 'His wife will be in court and she is the best person to evaluate'.

Dr Craig Wright

Wright’s cross-examination is scheduled for six days

Source: Alamy

Wright is expected to tell the court that his academic and business background gave him a unique blend of skills which led to the seminal 2008 white paper which set out the bitcoin system and the subsequent software release in 2009. The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), which is seeking a declaration that Wright is not 'Satoshi', told the court yesterday that his claim is a lie. 

The court also heard yesterday of a suicide attempt by Wright in 2016 when he was under pressure to prove in public that he was capable of moving bitcoins from one of the early blocks created by 'Satoshi'. The court was shown a document from the A&E department at St George's Hospital, Tooting, stating he had been admitted for 'major trauma' after stabbing himself in the neck at home. 

Earlier, Wright, 53, had watched impassively from the third row of the packed courtroom as he was accused of perpetrating a 'brazen lie, founded on an elaborate false narrative and backed by forgery of documents on an industrial scale.'

The trial continues.