Claims were made that Richardson shouldn’t be extradited to Turkey due to depression, despite being accused of sexually assaulting a child in Istanbul at an international school. The Turkish authorities have requested the extradition of 53-year-old British teacher Rebecca Richardson, who is accused of sexually assaulting a child. Richardson appeared before a judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Thursday, April 17. According to BBC News, Richardson, who resides near Cradley village in Ledbury, claimed during her hearing yesterday that she was suffering from depression and should not be extradited. Turkey had requested Richardson’s extradition at the beginning of 2019, alleging that she sexually assaulted a child aged 4-5 during her time working in Turkey. Medical examinations revealed that Richardson had been living abroad for about 20 years since leaving the UK in 2000, with prior stays in Mexico and Hong Kong before residing in Turkey from 2013 to 2019. Doctors diagnosed her with moderate depression and warned that her symptoms could worsen if she were to be extradited or detained. Dr. John Tully, who participated in the hearing via video link, stated that her condition was mild, and there was no objective indication of severe depression. Graeme Hall, representing Richardson in court, questioned Dr. Latham about whether his client’s symptoms would deteriorate if extradited, to which Latham responded in the affirmative. When asked if the risk of suicidal thoughts would increase in the event of extradition, Latham also answered affirmatively, adding that the teacher could appear “better than she actually is.” Richardson, who was granted conditional bail, is set to appear in court again on June 2 for a hearing on the extradition request, with a decision expected at least two weeks after the hearing.