Mass killer Breivik 'not psychotic'

Two psychiatrists ruled that Anders Breivik was insane during the bomb-and-shooting rampage
12 April 2012

Prison psychiatrists monitoring Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik say he is not psychotic and he has not been put on medication, a prosecutor has said.

The claims made in a court document have added fuel to calls to reassess whether he is legally insane.

The original finding by two court-appointed psychiatrists has been fiercely debated by mental health experts. Several lawyers representing the victims of the massacre that rocked Norway over the summer have demanded the Oslo District Court order a second evaluation.

But on Wednesday prosecutor Svein Holden said in a letter to the court that despite the new information he would not seek another evaluation. Breivik has recently been given access to media in prison and could try to manipulate new experts in ways that would be favourable to him, he said.

Prosecutors say they would rather let experts testify at the forthcoming trial.

Breivik, 32, has confessed to setting off a bomb that ripped through Oslo's government district on July 22, killing eight people, then opening fire at the summer camp of the governing Labour Party's youth wing, killing another 69.

The November 29 finding by two psychiatrists said Breivik was insane during the bomb-and-shooting rampage. In that report, the psychiatrists, who spent 36 hours talking to Breivik, described him as a man living in a "delusional universe" - a paranoid schizophrenic who had lost touch with reality.

However, in his letter to the court, Mr Holden says four psychiatrists at Ila prison in Oslo, where Breivik is held in pre-trial detention, informed him they have not observed any signs that he is psychotic. The prison has not started medication of Breivik or seen any need to move him to another facility, Mr Holden added.

The deadline for parties to file their demands is on Friday and the court will decide some time next week whether a new evaluation should be made, said court spokesman Geir Engebretsen. The trial is set to begin on April 16.

If declared mentally fit and convicted of terrorism, Breivik would face up to 21 years in prison or an alternative custody arrangement that could keep him behind bars indefinitely. If the courts declare him insane, he would be given three-year terms of psychiatric care that can be extended for as long as necessary.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in