David Cooke, PhD

Dr. David Cooke is accredited by the Risk Management Authority (RMA) to undertake risk assessment reports under sections 210C and 210D of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. He holds BSc, MSc, Ph.D., and DUniv (Honoris Causa) degrees in psychology. He is a Chartered Forensic and Chartered Clinical Psychologist, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He served as head of forensic clinical psychology for the Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust from 1984 until 2007. Dr. Cooke was a Professor of Forensic Clinical Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University between 1992 and 2016 (part-time) and is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway (since 2006) and Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Law, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. He has been actively involved in the study of violence and personality disorder since 1985, having published widely in this area, particularly in relation to psychopathic personality disorder. He served as a member of the Scotland Office Committee to Review the Treatment of Serious Sexual and Violent Offenders, including those with Personality Disorders (MacLean Committee). He chaired the sub-committee considering methods of risk assessment and chaired the Home Office committee that oversaw the assessment process for the Dangerous Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) programme. Dr. Cooke was President of the European Association of Psychology and Law (2009 – 2012). In 2006 he was awarded the Senior Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Forensic Psychology from the Division of Forensic Psychology of the British Psychological Society. In 2012 he received the Doctor of the University degree from the Armenian State University and the David the Invincible Medal from the Armenian Philosophical Academy. In 2018 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the European Association of Psychology and Law. Dr. Cooke has held grants to support research into the problem of violence and personality disorder. He has given evidence in cases and inquiries where the issue of violence risk has been central, including Lord Cullen’s Inquiry into the shooting at Dunblane. He has provided workshops on violence risk assessment and psychopathic personality disorder in the UK, Europe, Australia, North America, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, the Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and the Caribbean.