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Anders Behring Breivik believes court will rule him sane Anders Breivik believes court will rule this week that he is sane
(about 4 hours later)
Anders Behring Breivik, who is on trial for the murder of 77 people in Norway's worst terrorist atrocity, is convinced that the court trying him will find him "sane". Anders Breivik, charged with the murder of 77 people, including dozens of young activists attending a political camp in Norway last year, is convinced the court trying him will find him sane and culpable.
He anticipates being held in isolation in prison for the foreseeable future, where he would be able to write essays books and co-ordinate with far-right networks from his prison cell. In evidence on Monday it was revealed that he anticipates being held in isolation in prison for the foreseeable future, where he could write essays and books and liaise with far-right networks from his cell – he would be "fighting with his pen".
Breivik's comments were reported by a team of court-appointed psychiatrists giving evidence on Monday, who have contradicted the diagnosis of two previous psychiatrists that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Breivik's comments were reported by a team of court-appointed psychiatrists giving evidence, the second of two psychiatric teams to examine him. The second team has contradicted the diagnosis of two previous experts that Breivik suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
Terje Torrissen and Agnar Aspaas were asked to carry out a second assessment of Brevik's mental culpability after the first examination diagnosing Breivik's "psychosis" was leaked to the media triggering outrage. Instead, Terje Torrissen and Agnar Aspaas told the court, Breivik suffered from two distinct personality disorders – narcissistic personality disorder and anti-social personality disorder. Commenting on his "extremely deviant behaviour", they added that he was likely to remain dangerous, with little prospect of responding to treatment. But they found it extremely unlikely he was suffering any kind of psychosis when they examined him. They also rejected the theory that he could have been suffering a transitory psychotic episode at the time of the killings. Evidence of psychosis is required to support a ruling of insanity under Norway's penal code.
The court was also told how Breivik had claimed to have received a steady stream of admiring fanmail including declarations of love from women and girls as young as 16. He added he had also received hatemail. The issue of Breivik's sanity has become the crucial question: if the court rules him insane later this week, he would be sent to a secure psychiatric unit, not prison.
Torrissen and Aspaas, the final witnesses to give evidence in the trial of Breivik – who has admitted the murders and insists that he is sane – have said they had found no evidence of "psychosis". Torrissen and Aspaas were asked to carry out a second assessment of Breivik's mental culpability after the first examination diagnosing Breivik's "psychosis" was leaked to the media. That triggered widespread debate that led to the appointment of a second psychiatric team to evaluate him.
According to the two experts, Breivik said claims he had made in his assessment by the first two psychiatrists had been misunderstood or exaggerated. The court has heard evidence from different experts offering seven competing diagnoses. The court was also told how Breivik had allegedly received a stream of admiring fan-mail including – according to Breivik – declarations of love from girls as young as 16. He added that he had also received hate mail.
One of the "presentational errors" he believes he made in his early conversations with police and psychiatrists was his emphasis on his position in and membership of the Knights Templar organisation. The second set of psychiatric interviews was conducted earlier this year after a ban on allowing Breivik access to the media and court documents was lifted. Because of this, Breivik was aware of the diagnosis by the first two psychiatrists, Synne Sørheim and Torgeir Husby, who met him 13 times.
Explaining his use of self-coined titles to describe himself in his "manifesto" – including "justiciar-knight" – Breivik explained that other terrorist groups gave themselves titles. According to Torrissen and Aspaas, Breivik said that claims he had made during his first assessment had been misunderstood. He added he had made exaggerated claims about himself, which he now wanted to tone down, suggesting, Torrissen and Aspaas admit, that he had adapted how he presented himself to counter the suggestions of psychosis.
Contradicting the first psychiatric assessment, Terrisson and Aspaas told the court that far from showing a decline in "functionality" in the period leading up to his twin gun and bomb attacks last July, he appeared to be functioning despite his isolation at his mother's house. Among the "presentational errors" Breivik believes he made in his early conversations with police and psychiatrists was his emphasis on his position in, membership of and the insignia and the rituals of the Knights Templar organisation – believed by police to be fictional.
Supporting this claim they quoted Breivik, who said he still felt he had a "choice" not to commit the attacks even as he drove his carbomb to Oslo's government district on 22 July. Explaining his use of self-coined titles to describe himself in his manifesto – including "justiciar-knight" – Breivik explained that other terrorist groups gave themselves titles.
While Synne Sørheim and Torgeir Husby found Breivik "grandiose and suffering from paranoid delusions" including the belief his manifesto could "automatically" radicalise anyone who read it, Terrisson and Aspaas found him "groomed, alert, focused, although emotionally neutral with few signs of persecution, neologisms and no hallucinations". Breivik also said that he thought that Sørheim and Husby had been affected by his acts and the sense of national shock and had sought at times to "offend and provoke" him.
Torrisson and Aspaas, contradicting the first psychiatric assessment, told the court that, far from showing a decline in "functionality" in the period leading up to his twin gun and bomb attacks last July, Breivik appeared to be functioning, despite his isolation at his mother's house.
Supporting this claim, they quoted Breivik, who said he he still felt he had a "choice" not to commit the attacks, even as he drove his car bomb to Oslo's government district on 22 July.
While Sørheim and Husby found Breivik "grandiose and suffering from paranoid delusions" – he thought his manifesto could "automatically" radicalise anyone who read it – Terrisson and Aspaas found him "groomed, alert, focused, although emotionally neutral with few signs of persecution, neologisms and no hallucinations".
To find Breivik insane – and not culpable under the penal code – the court must rule that he was suffering from a psychotic illness as opposed to a severe personality disorder.To find Breivik insane – and not culpable under the penal code – the court must rule that he was suffering from a psychotic illness as opposed to a severe personality disorder.
Criticising the first psychiatric team, Breivik told the second that they had no specialist knowledge of international terrorism and said that Japanese or South Korean psychiatrists should have been appointed because of their strong "honour code". Criticising the first psychiatric team, Breivik told Terrisson and Aspaas that Sørheim and Husby had no specialist knowledge of international terrorism and said that Japanese or South Korean psychiatrists should have been appointed because of their strong "honour code".