'Unsettling' new Netflix documentary leaves viewers feeling 'physically sick to their stomach'

A documentary exploring the controversial relationship between a white university professor and the non-verbal black man she was assisting has left viewers feeling 'haunted'.

Married Anna Stubblefield claims she had a consensual sexual relationship with Derrick Johnson, who is diagnosed as 'severely cognitively impaired' and has cerebral palsy. The former Rutgers University academic, who spent two years helping Derrick to communicate, was convicted of sexual assault in 2015.

Tell Them You Love Me examines the criminal trial, challenging perceptions of disability and the nature of consent. The film released in February on Sky Documentaries in the UK, but only recently dropped on Netflix in the US. Documentary genius Louis Theroux serves as executive producer, while Nick August-Perna directs.

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A respected academic based in New Jersey, USA, Anna was first approached by Derrick's brother John for help with his condition. Anna claimed she could help Derrick express himself via facilitated communication - a widely-discredited method which involves someone physically supporting a person with disabilities as they type on a keyboard or point to letters and pictures.

With Anna's help, Derrick soon learned to use a keyboard with an LED screen to type and even began taking a university class. Two years on, Anna had more to reveal: not only was Derrick a highly intelligent man, but they had also fallen in love.

Derrick's mother, Daisy Johnson, said her son didn’t have the capacity to engage in physical or emotional intimacy, and the extent to which he used a keyboard to communicate with her