A psychology professor has told the court in Oslo that he believes confessed mass killer Andres Behring Breivik is sane. Svenn Torgersen said he disagrees with the conclusions of the first court-appointed psychiatric team that found the right-wing extremist to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
Speaking about the first report, Torgersen said, “I didn’t find consistency between premises and conclusions… the clinical observations that it includes, and the conclusions on what criteria are met.” He added that there was too much focus on Breivik’s childhood.
Torgersen said he agreed with a second evaluation that found that Breivik was not suffering from any mental health conditions either during or after he killed 77 people in dual terror attacks on July 22. If the court agrees that the killer is sane, he will be sent to prison rather than held in psychiatric care.
“The second report has an analysis of psychosis, lies and fantasies, on page 293, which is one of the better ones I’ve read,” Torgersen told the court.
The 33-year-old admits killing eight in a bomb attack outside government buildings in Oslo before going on a shooting spree at a Labour Party youth camp on Utoeya Island, killing a further 69. He claims he is sane and that his actions were “necessary” to prevent Norway and Europe coming under Muslim rule.
The trial is set to end this week with sentencing expected come at either at the end of July or the end of August.