-
Source: ONE News -
Watch Video
-
Related
Murder accused Clayton Weatherston had been on drugs for depression but tripled the dose leading up to the killing of his former student and girlfriend.
The former Otago University tutor is on trial in Christchurch for the murder of Sophie Elliott who was stabbed more than 200 times at her Dunedin home in January last year.
Weatherston has pleaded not guilty to murder but has admitted her manslaughter, saying she provoked him.
There were questions for him from the jury and the trial judge.
On Weatherston's fifth day on stand on Wednesday, the judge warned the public gallery about audible reactions to his evidence.
The jury asked the defence to put several questions to the accused about his Facebook use and how he was able to look at Sophie Elliott's Facebook page on the morning of her killing.
Also, when the Crown and defence said they had finished with him as a witness, the judge stepped in and said she had some questions of her own.
Weatherston showed the trial judge an action he remembers clearly from the day he stabbed Elliott to death.
"It's more of a defensive push...more of a pushing away... pushing her away from me," he said.
Justice Potter put many questions to him about what happened during and then immediately after the killing.
He said he put his glasses on "and I sort of looked around the room".
Potter asked did he see Sophie when he looked around the room.
"Ah, I didn't really look directly at Sophie," he replied.
A psychiatrist for the defence Dr David Chaplow says Weatherston has a long list of personality disorders.
"A grandiose sense of self importance, exaggerating achievements and talents, expecting to be recognised as superior, a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love, a belief in himself being special," said Chaplow.
He had been on anti-depressants for years but had tripled the dose to three a day just before Elliott died.
"While the court will assess and weigh intent and culpability, I opine that Weatherston was and is a vulnerable character because of his personality characteristics of anxiety, obsessionality and narcissism," said Chaplow.
Chaplow also interviewed a woman the accused had lived with who said although he wasn't outwardly crazy, she felt he had big psychological problems.
Latest NZ News Video
-
ONE News Minute 9am update: May 26 (1:00)
-
Kids cough up $14m for Government (1:50)
-
Education ministry 'barbaric' (1:55)
